Freaks and Geeks
by Edwin Nigma
Summary: A teenaged 494 is on the run from Manticore and the Winchester Apocalypse has begun. With the added chaos, what's one more troubled Winchester to join Team Free Will? Set early season 4
1. Chapter 1

**Set Season 4 after Wishful Thinking. Early days of the Seals, nothing set but Cas is a little bit of a jerk still but it'll pass eventually. Unit 2 escaped in 2005, not '09 for the sake of age accuracy.**

* * *

Sioux Falls had always been a second home for the Winchester boys so they were more than happy to help Bobby on a possible hunt while they were passing through. It didn't seem too serious, just shoplifting with a seemingly invisible culprit. If it was left to that description, they would've left it for Jody's department to handle. Store cameras hadn't caught anything more than half images of a person in a hoodie as the main suspect, meaning they knew where each of those cameras were located, and the amount of food and supplies taken made it clear that their target knew what they were after each time.

Unfortunately, the newest witness account of the thief running faster than the eye could see clearly and then vanishing presumably up the fire escape 16 feet in the air had officially made it hunting business.

The hunters had split up to look around for clues and that's how Dean Winchester came to be staring in shock as the figure zoomed past on its escape route some ten feet in front of him… past the 20 foot fence blocking the way that had been leaped over in - yes - a single bound.

* * *

"So, you didn't get a clear view of the perp?"

Dean rolled his eyes and gripped the edge of the table a little tighter in annoyance. "I _told_ you: a bit short, brownish hair, didn't catch his face. He was wearing jeans that had seen better days and a grey hoodie. Oh, and of course, _HE JUMPED OVER A TWENTY FOOT FENCE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING_. Maybe that's a qualifier for _something_."

"He's out in daylight, which doesn't sound like any vamp-like behavior but maybe the Apocalypse shook up something special for the occasion," Bobby suggested.

"_Just what we need, freakin' evil off-brand X-men_," Dean muttered and took another gulp of his beer.

"Would that be one of the Seals maybe?" Sam asked. "Anything on new freaks running rampant besides Biblicals?"

"We could call Cas, see if he knows anything," Dean offered.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "He answered anything without the cryptic crap since this whole mess kicked off?"

Sam studied the reports and scribbled on the paper once or twice. "We could set a trap and hope it works out."

Dean huffed but Bobby leaned forward. "You got any idea where it's holed up?"

"I'm getting there. It's probably near these general areas. It's been knocking over stores one by one and not going back for seconds so it narrows down the list of places it's likely to go," Sam pointed out.

"Well, if we don't know what it is, how're we supposed to catch or kill the thing?" The oldest hunter asked.

"I'm not sure," Sam admitted.

Dean stood silent through the whole exchange and suddenly pointed up as the thought struck him. "Hold up. This thing's super amped up, right? Straight up Terminator 2 apart from the metal." The other two waited for him to get to his point. "Well, if he's Terminator, how come he runs? My guess is it's one of those instances where something regular can trap or kill 'em. A simple shot to the heart or something, you know? Most of the other big bads would see they're being followed and likely kill the civi just for kicks unless they needed to keep a low profile from law enforcement."

"Not sure how something that can leap fences is going to be kept in check with handcuffs, Dean."

Dean shrugged. "Then we maybe use some spellwork of our own and knock 'em out or something. Bring it here, keep it in the panic room until we figure out what it is."

Sam looked at Bobby, who simply gave a half nod and an easily translatable expression of '_Eh, it's worth a shot_' before the trio started planning.

* * *

Bad, this was bad. He'd stayed too long and now it was clearly time to pack up and leave. He shoulda known better than to stay the extra month after the cops started noticing the thefts.

He'd broken his usual schedule. Find a base, secure it, bring whatever he could back to base and when 3 weeks are up, leave and repeat. It'd worked so far, but now he'd gotten cocky. Now they were after him.

These men weren't police, they were too watchful, too well-prepared, which only left one option.

He didn't want to go back. He didn't care what it cost, he wasn't going back there. He'd gotten in enough trouble to know it wouldn't end well for him if they got hold of him. If these were the only men after him, he'd kill them if he had to.

He turned in the maze of backways that he'd mapped out in an attempt the lose them, but they were closing him in. He came face to face with a tall man with shaggy hair and veered left, scrambled beneath a busted fence, swerved past the dumpsters, not bothering to mask his speed now. It was the only real asset he had unless things got more confrontational.

Another man appeared smirking at the end of the branch leading out to the street. He changed course again and blurred to the right, desperate to get away, to avoid getting into a fight when he was weaponless against people who knew how he fought, knew what he was capable of.

The brick wall in front of him sent his heart plummeting and his feet slowed to a stop. He'd gotten turned around. _How had he let himself get turned around?!_ His eyes darted impossibly fast to try to calculate the next best step. It might be possible to jump from one wall to the other and make his way-

The ominous click of a gun made him stiffen up and crashed the train of thought. Fine. He'd been cornered, he could accept this. He would not, however, accept _capture_. He blurred, spinning as fast as he could and ducking the bullet sent his way likely in surprise more than anything else. He threw his fist straight toward the shooter's face but was shocked when he suddenly found himself being thrown back into the grimy bricks. The old stone scraped his spine as he collided, knocking the wind out of him.

"Good catch," the man said.

"You're lucky that spell worked or you'd be sporting a black eye right about now." Another voice responded and the man with the beard walked into view holding a book.

_Spell_? _What_?

He couldn't focus on what the strangers were saying. His limbs were not following orders, it was like he'd been strapped against the wall as tightly as the cold steel tables from his memories. The shooter was walking toward him with that same slow, unhurried gait as the mask-covered monsters that were only too happy to see what new limits to test. "Alright, let's bring him in. Bobby?"

He didn't know at what point the cold sweat had broken out, or when his chest started to feel impossibly tight.

The bearded man started reading something from the book that he couldn't understand. It sounded distorted just like how his vision had become. The men came closer. A weird red smoke floated around him. When everything went dark a second later, there was no time to think about it anymore.

* * *

His training, when it came to waking up, was deeply ingrained in him: Don't open your eyes or change your breathing. Take in smells, sounds, and textures to ensure you're where you fell asleep. If you're not, it's even more necessary.

He smelled metal and dirt mixed with people scent and got the general feeling of a more rugged domain than anything Manticore produced. Manticore was sterile, cold, void of anything but grey and steel and chemicals. His hoodie had been removed, leaving him in his black t-shirt with some faded lettering that he'd stolen the month before. His pockets had been turned out and his shoes were gone, leaving socks alone to block out the cold from the concrete floor. He felt thick ropes tied tightly across wrists, ankles, and across his chest and shoulders keeping him in place on what felt like a sturdy metal chair. It wasn't titanium cuffs, but it was doing the job just fine when he tested them briefly.

494 was _not_ back at Manticore… he had mixed feelings about this. He would at least know where he was and what limited options awaited him had he been taken there. Consequently, he had no idea what his next move should be in relation to his unknown captors.

He jogged his memory viciously for any useful information. He remembered running, being cornered - they were smart and not to be underestimated- and being shot at meaning they were not afraid to hurt him. How he was knocked out, he didn't know. Maybe there was some kind of paralytic or hallucinogen since he seemed to recall being stuck to a wall and unable to move and then… strange words…

Silence was going to be his first move if only to find out more about his captors and how they reacted to unknowns and frustration to see if he could manipulate them.

494 opened his eyes and looked straight up at them, smothering a smile when one seemed mildly startled. There were still just the three men: one older man with a beard that looked gruff and unassuming but held a dangerous glint of intelligence in his eyes that sent off alarms to not ignore him as a threat, a veritable giant with long shaggy hair just a few inches up from his shoulders - _definitely_ not Manticore - and wearing a flannel button-up, and the last man was… something felt strange about him… _off_…

The last man had short cropped hair that stuck up a little at the front, a mild scowl. His clothes were casual in nature but his posture echoed the Colonel back at base and his eyes… his eyes were dangerous… glinting… green like his own.

"Observant little twerp, aren't you?" The last man commented, noticing the scrutiny.

He gave no reaction to the man's comment. 494's expressions were schooled too perfectly to even show that he'd heard any comment made. Instead, his eyes raked across the room and he slowly became more and more confused. There were symbols painted on the walls and floor, looking up at the 'skylight' there was a pentagram, and the single door leading out to supposed freedom looked like something out of a submarine holding cell.

Smart, dangerous, and possibly Satanists. He'd been caught by serial killers with a likelihood of 35% survival at this point if he managed to escape and take them all out. But how did they know about him? They knew enough to catch him.

"Right. Sam?" The man turned as the giant - apparently named Sam - stepped forward, brandishing a well-polished dagger with an air of familiarity.

The captive took a deep breath, refusing point-blank to show any of the fear that was trickling into his system. He stared straight ahead when calloused fingers pressed against his wrist before the stinging edge of metal bit a shallow cut into his skin. He felt a tic in his jaw at the fact that he hadn't even been asked any questions yet and they were jumping straight to the slice and dice.

The thing that caught his eye was the reaction of the men in the room. They all seemed confused somehow, but not by his lack of reaction; they were all staring at the cut on his arm as though waiting for something to happen. He resisted the urge to fidget when the small trail of blood started to itch as the drop rolled down. Mercifully, it rolled down and settled against the chair so the itch dissipated.

Perhaps the Satanists had heard of the advanced healing abilities and were waiting for it to magically suture itself together, but they soon lost interest.

Sam turned and grinned and the other younger man. "I told you."

The other rolled his eyes with a grumble as he reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and passed a five-dollar bill to the other man in annoyance.

The bearded old man walked over and untwisted the cap of a flask. It looked normal enough, but the man didn't drink from it and instead held it almost threateningly. Was there something strange inside it?

He couldn't smell the sour scent of alcohol. The bearded man suddenly flicked his wrist and splashed the liquid from the flask onto 494's face. He sputtered for a second in surprise before schooling his expression back to neutral. It appeared to be water. That was a relief because for a microsecond he was expecting to feel the burn of acid or something equally awful against his skin.

The others in the room only seemed to deflate that nothing else had happened.

Questions pressed against the inside of 494's mouth, threatening to burst out. He'd never been good at keeping his thoughts to himself. He was very outspoken by nature and, oddly enough, trying to refrain from it seemed to make it worse as the years went on.

He held it in forcefully, biting his lip to passively seal himself off. If he started asking questions, it would be giving them power.

The man known as Sam crouched slightly to be at more of an eye level. "Right, so you're not a shifter or a demon but we know you aren't human. What are you?"

Silence. Sam raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that we kind of have the advantage here, right? You might as well talk cause we'll find out eventually."

A fixed stone expression stared back at him. Sam turned and walked over to Old Beard Man, patting him on the shoulder to apparently turn the job over to him. Old Beard Man reached into the hunting vest he had layered on and pulled out a laminated paper rectangle and held it in front of the young man tied to the chair.

"Care to take a look at this?" He asked.

494's green eyes widened slightly as shock blended with recognition when they saw the photograph but it neutralized again a moment later. They had a picture of _him_… only not. There were several differences. The hair was a little lighter, the clothes were different from the style he'd picked up, but the stance of the teen in the photo still spoke of training despite the smile across his features.

He could only think of one person that this could be. "_Four-nine-three_?" He breathed.

"What did you say?" Old Beard Man asked. The captive locked down again. "You can stay quiet for as long as you want, but we've got a lot more time if you're going for a siege scenario."

Old Beard Man glanced at the other two and shrugged. Sam nodded for them to talk outside of the room and they all shuffled out, mostly ignoring the watchful eyes that followed them.

* * *

**Hope this got your attention. I have most of this written and it's gonna be a long one. I'm hoping having readers will get me to a conclusion or at least consistent writing habits.**


	2. Chapter 2

Dean didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. He'd always hated the complicated cases, the ones where there was too much moral scrutiny and later "what ifs" of forever wondering if they'd made the right choice.

This thing was not human, that much was obvious with the super speed and whatnot, but none of the tests narrowed down the possibilities. Maybe it was something special for the end times. In any case, it was a hunt and they knew the proper course of action.

But Dean hated when it was a kid or at least it _looked_ like one. It kinda acted like one too with the whole 'silent treatment' deal. The resemblance was throwing him off majorly too but if it held true, the kid was about 15 at the most. He looked like he'd come up nearly to Dean's shoulder. It was like the changelings with Ben and Lisa all over again. Creepy kids who seemed normal enough until they were trying to eat someone's face off.

Talk about moral scrutiny. The worst part wasn't even not knowing what the kid was; it wasn't not knowing how malevolent and bloodthirsty he was likely to be or even that he promised to be extremely stubborn. The worst part was that, since they were so similar, Dean could read so many little things about the kid that just made him feel sympathetic.

The kid was obviously alone and scared but keeping that to himself; he was apparently living on the streets up until this point considering the dirt and grime buildup on his clothes, face, and hands. To top it off, he was _hungry_. Dean knew the signs when a kid was hungry and trying not to show it. It was more obvious from the massive amounts of food that had been stolen. This thing ate a lot or had one heck of a stockpile and Dean was willing to bet it was door number one from the lean, almost scrawny look of the kid.

Outside the panic room, Bobby and Sam were trying to figure out the best way to continue while Dean stood off to the side.

"Is it dinner time yet?" Dean interrupted.

The other two blinked and Bobby nodded. "I've got some stew cooking upstairs."

Dean smiled. "Then let's eat."

Sam rolled his eyes - an action Dean had been dealing with since the kid was 6 - and crossed his arms. "Can you really only think about _food_? We need to figure out how to get this kid to talk to us or to figure out what he is since we've only narrowed the playing field."

"How is _not_ eating going to help with that? He's never seen the picture before, considering how it freaked him out for a second, and he's not up to answering questions. How is keeping the rest of us hungry going to help that situation?" Dean rebutted.

Sam huffed and Bobby shrugged. "He's got a point." The oldest hunter pointed out.

Dean turned and walked up the stairs. He didn't know if it would work well or not, but it was worth a shot. While Sam and Bobby came upstairs, Dean explained his idea and left them to eat before heading back down with the steaming food.

He checked inside the room through the slat in the door and saw the kid straining against the ropes securing him. Dean smiled a little bit and his eyebrows went up when the kid was suddenly looking straight at him with almost eerie intensity. Oh yeah, changeling vibes for sure.

The door creaked as it opened Dean closed it behind him and twisted the lock on it for good measure before walking over and setting down the two bowls of stew and water bottles he'd picked up a short little ways in front of the chair. Smiling inwardly at the sudden fixation on the food from the kid, he walked past and pulled the bed that had been pushed against the wall over in front of the kid.

Settling himself on the creaking mattress, he picked up the stew and set one aside on the bed before starting in on the other. The stew was great, as usual, and the obvious sigh of pleasure at the flavor wasn't even forced; he was _hungry _after all. The smell of it was just as tantalizing from the way the kid was trying hard to ignore it.

After a few bites, Dean set the spoon down and picked up the water bottle. "Are you hungry?" He asked as he twisted the cap off the bottle and took a quick swig.

The kid was instantly staring at the floor.

"Ah, c'mon. There's no need for that. You can say yes, or even just _nod_ since you like the silent game so much." The hunter assured him.

A hesitant nod.

"There we go. So, you understand English. That's good." Dean gave a small smile. "Of course, getting food is going to be a little more tricky."

_Yeesh, if looks could kill_ Dean thought to himself at the sudden glare trying to burn a hole in him. "It's not going to be hard, of course. I've got some very basic questions that you should have no problem with answering."

The glare seemed to intensify.

"You haven't answered the 'what are you' question which, you know, I get. You're paranoid and you're pretty justified in it considering your situation. I'll start small: Are you right or left handed?"

A right hand waved as much as possible for being tied at the wrist.

"Good deal. This might seem like a weird one but, are you in any way venomous or toxic?"

The kid actually moved his face. Dean decided the look of confusion and concern to be a good sign. His head shook a slow 'no' and Dean gave a nod of approval.

"Right, excellent." He reached over, pausing when the kid flinched and raised a hand in a sign of peace, before deliberately untying the kid's left arm. "I'm sure you can understand why I'm making this more difficult, but it is a safety precaution. On the bright side, though." Dean reached next to him and set the bowl of stew in the kid's lap with a spoon. "Food."

The teen looked at the steaming bowl and then up at Dean and back again.

"Kid, it's not poisoned. If we wanted you dead, you'd be dead," Dean added dryly. It wasn't really a lie either. They didn't want the kid dead until after they figured out what he was, if he was dangerous, and if they should expect to see more like him.

_IT_. Dean reminded himself. _It _was not a regular kid and it could be a major and rookie mistake to forget that. He was getting attached and needed to back off on the emotional front. For all he knew, he might have to be the one to put a bullet in this thing wearing a kid's face. It was _wearing a kid's face_, _**his**_ kid face no less which was a double no-no in the Dean Winchester book. This thing could be some kind of rougarou or a changeling.

The _thing_ still looked suspicious. He picked up the bowl and sniffed it and set it back down. He dipped a finger in it and tried a taste. Satisfied, he took a bite with the spoon and Dean saw him seem to melt at the taste of the home-cooked meal.

_It._ _It_ seemed to melt. He couldn't get attached.

"Right, well, as you can tell…" Dean took another bite of stew. "We're not gonna try and hurt you anytime soon. But would you mind telling us what you are? Just so we can get along better, you understand," He continued glibly, tacking on a grin for good measure.

The _thing_ tuned him out in favor of eating.

"Ya know, it's not nearly as fun to talk to a wall as you might be thinking," Dean commented.

The thing snorted slightly at the complaint and continued to eat.

"You think I'm funny?" The hunter mused. "Well, at least you've got a good sense of humor. Sammy doesn't think anything's funny but his own jokes."

The teenager looked up at him thoughtfully and Dean cocked his head to the side. "I gotta ask, kid, are you mute or something? I'm surprised you haven't just told me to shut up even if you aren't gonna answer questions."

A small quirk of the corner of his mouth and a shake of the head was all the acknowledgment he gave. Dean sighed. This kid - _THING_ \- was really stubborn.

Obviously, it probably had figured out that they were hunters and it was a big bad which is why it wouldn't declare itself. It was probably playing it safe until it got out somehow.

"Who are you?"

The sudden question from a new voice caught Dean so off-guard that he got stuck for a moment wondering if he was hearing things. The thing was staring at him expectantly.

"Uh, Dean. Dean Winchester," He replied, watching for any sign of fear or recognition at the name. More monsters had been hearing whispers of the Winchester name as the years went on. Usually, the name was enough to send some monsters into hiding for a few months at least.

The thing just kept eating the stew, almost like nothing had happened at all.

"Mind trading? You know what I'm called, who are you?" Dean asked. When no response followed he raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to keep calling you 'kid'... or maybe 'stew' since you're so fixated on that bowl?"

The teen paused with a spoonful halfway to his mouth to debate the issue. "Alec," He said finally.

"_Alec_. Huh. Solid name." The hunter ate a few more bites of his own stew. "You come up with that all by yourself?" He added jokingly.

The kid's hand actually stuttered in its progress before resuming and Dean's smirk broadened. Fake name, figures. "Don't suppose you mind telling me your _real_ name, would you?"

The bowl was suddenly tossed over to the bed again, empty, followed by the spoon that landed perfectly in the bowl. Dean turned to look at it and his forehead creased in concern when he saw the handle of the flimsy metal spoon had been bent into the mold of the hand that previously gripped it. He looked up at the thing and it pointed down to the water bottle.

"Mind passing that over?" 'Alec' asked. "I'm a little _tied up_."


	3. Chapter 3

**Still here? Good, I'll keep writing**

* * *

Sam jumped when the quiet fluttering announced the new arrival and Castiel appeared within a foot of the youngest Winchester. "Cas! You're actually here?"

"You said this was important." Castiel ignored any formalities.

Dean gestured to the door leading to the panic room. "We don't know what we're dealing with but it's not human and not giving any answers. We aren't sure what kind of threat it poses."

The angel nodded and followed Dean down the stairs. A quick check through the slat revealed the room was safe and they made their way in.

Alec showed some confusion at the new face before bristling a bit. "What are you?" He demanded. Dean's eyes narrowed. That was certainly interesting.

"I am Castiel, I'm an angel of the Lord," Cas responded. "The question is, of course, what are _you_?"

The teen simply watched the slow approach. Cas's head tilted to the side in confusion and the kid shifted as though uncomfortable.

"S-Stop that," He ordered.

The angel continued to study him closely. Dean wasn't sure what was going on, but it was clearly bugging the thing in the chair so he could count that as progress.

"Stop that! Stop it _now_! Get out of my head!" Alec yelled, jerking against the ropes fiercely .

Castiel suddenly straightened up and turned to Dean, glancing back in concern at Alec who had stopped fighting his bonds and stared at Cas in unmasked horror.

"Do you know what he is?" Dean asked, a bit hopeful.

Castiel nodded. "He's called a transgenic, a _chimera_. He's what happens when humans try to play god and he must be destroyed."

Dean blinked in shock. "Hold up, back two spaces, a _chimera_? Those haven't been around for centuries, they got wiped out ages ago."

"There haven't been _natural_ chimeras in centuries. He was _made_. He's an abomination to my father's work." Castiel turned back to the newly dubbed chimera. "And yet…"

Silence oozed into the room. Dean was half tempted to wave a hand in front of the angel's face when he seemed to zone out in concentration. "And yet _what_?" He finally demanded.

Castiel's eyes narrowed. "His soul…"

Alec, who'd gone slightly pale since the announcement of his imminent destruction, was now even more alarmed. Maybe Dean had imagined it, but there was almost a high pitched whine of distress coming from the kid.

"What about his soul?" Dean asked.

Cas glanced at him. "He _has_ one."

The hunter's confusion doubled. "So, what does that mean?"

The angel studied Alec more. "I'm not entirely sure. I may have to confer with my more knowledgeable brethren."

Dean refocused on the chimera who was sporting a pale look. "So, what're we supposed to do with Alec then?"

"Alec?" Castiel turned.

"That's what he's going by," Dean shrugged. "Wouldn't tell me his real name."

At this, Alec glared from the chair at him.

"This creature is nameless. He's been assigned a series of numbers, but never a name." The angel informed him, evidently confused as to how the creature happened upon a name. "Perhaps I missed something. I'll have to search again-"

"-STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" Alec growled. "Delusional '_Angel_' or not, stay out of my head or I'll _kill you_, you psy-ops reject!"

The angel's shoulders straightened at the insult and he walked forward. Alec seemed to shrink slightly, but his eyes remained locked on the angel in defiance. He gulped when the man in the suit and trench coat set his hands on Alec's arms and leaned over him.

"The only reason you are presently existing is that I have allowed it thus far. I needed to know how you came to be and now that I have that information, I could end you as easily as you breathe. You would do well not to antagonize me."

* * *

He wasn't freaking out. He wasn't. He _refused_ to feel any sort of panic. And yet Alec - he kinda liked that choice, might stick with it for a while - couldn't help the feeling of fear when that… that _thing_… claiming to be an angel was near him. It wasn't fully human, he knew that much. He moved too stiffly and smelled wrong and he made Alec's hair stand on end. These people were too strange and there was a siren going off in his mind. That… that _thing_ had poked and prodded around in his brain; it had scanned every nook and cranny and Alec knew beyond anything else that might be that he _hated_ Castiel.

Dean, now that he'd gotten close enough, was already slightly unsettling for Alec. The transgenic had figured out what had been 'off' about him: he smelled like _death_. It was faint, but there. Maybe he was sick and it would only grow stronger from now on.

Or maybe, he thought with an inward chuckle, he really _had_ died and this 'angel' had brought him back to life, in which case it would fade. Ha.

"I suppose it's up to you," Castiel announced. "You can either end him or keep him until I have better answers."

He could feel Dean's eyes on him, gauging how much trouble he'd be worth and probably underestimating if Alec was fully honest with himself. He figured even with underestimating, there wasn't really much choice in the matter. This was it then. He attempted a steadying breath.

"Eh, we'll see how it plays out, I guess," Dean decided.

Alec blinked and stared at the man. That was _not_ how he thought this was going to go down.

Castiel nodded. "I hope you're ready to deal with whatever consequences this brings," He warned.

Alec felt the words jump out of him before he could even think. "What are you _really_? What's your designation?"

The 'angel' stared at him quizzically. Alec wondered vaguely if that was a fixed expression on the man's face. "I have told you already my name is Castiel and I'm an angel of the Lord. I have a name, not a designation, unlike your kind."

Alec looked away from the 'angel'.

Castiel remained focused to the point of glaring for another moment before he turned to Dean. "I'll be back when I have received answers."

And he vanished.

Alec gaped.

Castiel literally _vanished._ A faint flutter of wings was all the trace left of him having been there at all. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the spot on the floor where the angel - that suddenly seemed almost credible at this point - had disappeared from.

"Relax, Alec or whoever you are, he does that." Dean said, spotting Alec's shock with some amusement before shaking his head and grumbling "_Freaking feathery drama queen_" under his breath.

"So…" Alec started, trying to sort the dozens of questions that sprang to his mind. "Th-that... was…"

Dean nodded. "An angel, yeah. Although they're obviously a bit different than most folks imagine."

Alec sat pondering for a brief moment before mustering up the courage to ask. "Do you mean it?"

"What do you mean? That Wings has got issues? Cause that speaks for itself-"

"-_No_… About… Seeing how it plays out. What is that supposed to mean?"

Dean's expression was hard to read. Alec had no way of knowing if he was lying or not. "It means if you keep your nose clean, we might figure something out but if you hurt anybody and I mean _anybody_: you're gone. End of story. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," he managed and fixed his attention on the floor, not wanting to push his luck when Dean hadn't even cleared it with the other two.

"I'll be back in a bit," Dean informed him and walked out. The metal door clanged and locks bolted in place behind him.

Alec was fine. He was fine with this. Everything was absolutely fine.

Apparently, angels were a thing now. Fine, he was fine with that. And angels apparently didn't like him… at all… and kinda wanted him vaporized or something and if they could actually vanish - and that Castiel thing had _actually vanished_ \- then they might just be able to do that before he could stop them. That was fine, totally fine, not at _all_ panic-inducing.

And they… he'd said… a _blasphemy against heaven_? Ouch. X5-494 hadn't asked to be created. Why did Castiel act like it was his fault? It wasn't his fault. It was Manticore's fault. They created him. They created him and broke him and stitched him back together and then did it again. And again.

And he'd done what they told him to do, _made_ him to do. And they were bad things, he knew that now, but he hadn't known back then. Was he really _that bad?_ He thought maybe a real angel might understand why he'd done those things. Maybe even be proud of him for running away so it would stop: the fear, the experiments, and killing. He wanted it to stop. He wanted to be free.

But he'd still done those things. He'd been made for the purpose of destroying lives. Maybe… maybe he really was that bad. After all, how could something made for evil be good? Maybe it was pointless to try to argue with an angel.

Alec wondered blandly whether or not if the angel destroyed _him_, he would destroy Manticore and all of the others too. The other transgenics would be something of a loss to him, but no one deserved death more than the adults running the program.

Escaping his fate didn't look very promising. He'd tried breaking loose but there were still things that no amount of his brute strength could break and he was tied in such a way that he couldn't get any leverage or momentum to break anything apart. He was quite thoroughly trapped; trapped with a possible death sentence for all he knew. These people might not understand exactly what he was, but if they were told by an _angel_ that he was an abomination of science, they weren't going to let him go. He could feel it in the heavy pit in his stomach. They might lie and say they were reconsidering but then it would be a quick bullet in the back as soon as he turned it.

This was just the cherry on top of a spectacularly miserable existence. He didn't care if he would sound childish if he dared to voice it.

It wasn't fair.

It straight up wasn't fair in any way shape or form. He'd only _just_ gotten out! Half a year of freedom after all he'd been through? Working up the guts to go it alone had been hard, let alone all the planning and how he could cover his tracks with the limited knowledge that he had of the outside world. It was an improbable daydream that he might someday find one of the elusive '05ers and ask if he could join in their crazy circus, but the odds were not in his favor from the start and being on the move and in hiding didn't help.

He'd left a crappy life to be on the run in an only slightly less crappy life only to quickly find the end to his crappy life. It wasn't fair.

_But maybe it is justice._ He squeezed his eyes shut against the faces embedded in his memory, faces frozen in the split-second before their eyes stopped seeing and no breath passed from their lips.

He didn't want to. He'd never wanted to, but he had no real choice. It was kill or be killed and he learned with a frightening speed that he was _good_ at door number one. He didn't have a real choice. He didn't want to die.

Taking another moment or two for the contemplation of his situation, the real party started. Here he was once again locked in Solitary with nothing but his mind for company.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey look! It's that nearly obligatory 'serotonin deficiency' chapter that's in 90% of Dark Angel fanfics! Sorry, but I don't want to just**

**erase it and it does have a purpose.**

* * *

Sam didn't trust the kid. He wasn't sure if Dean had made the right call in keeping him around. Maybe it was because he didn't spend a lot of time down there talking to 'Alec' - as he had apparently named himself - unlike Dean, who thought the thing was amusing or something like that. That's what Dean kept telling him at least. Sam didn't buy it.

A system had been brokered out between the house occupants and their involuntary house guest. The chair in the center of the room had been discarded in favor of keeping the kid on a sort of 'leash' on his ankle that ran the length of the panic room so he could roam fairly freely and use the bed attached to the wall without issue. The furniture they'd initially removed from the panic room was returned which Alec seemed to enjoy. Sitting at a desk to eat was probably a bit more convenient and they even emptied out a bathroom of all possible weapons for him to use to clean up.

But it didn't end there. Dean insisted on going through the boxes in the attic and finding a few old clothes that could fit Alec. Then a few odd games and books so he wouldn't get bored.

If Sam didn't know any better, he'd say Dean was almost adopting the thing. It was getting more worrying by the day.

Sam knew his brother had a weakness for anyone younger than himself, especially kids. He'd been a big brother for so long that he was constantly searching for ways to help people… but this wasn't a _person_. This was a _thing_, a _creature_, a _monster_ that's very existence was something an angel wanted to end on principal. But all Dean seemed to see was an untrusting kid that for some reason needed help.

Sam didn't share the sentiment. Every time he went down there, the kid was as silent as the grave and studying Sam intently. Apparently, he only talked to Dean which suited Sam just fine.

He didn't want to associate in any way with something that Castiel had placed on the official 'bad' list. He was already in deep crap with demon fraternizing and the whole Azazel issue from when he was a child that he didn't want to tack on 'became friends with a chimera that was labeled a blaspheme against heaven' to his list of reasons for angels to dislike him. He wanted to make a good impression with the angels and so far he'd been sub-par.

He knew it was dumb and probably just insecurity talking, but he didn't understand how Heaven was fixated on his brother who'd never had any religious inklings unless it was occult-related. Sam had been praying his whole life and was labeled 'the boy with the demon blood' in one meeting but Dean was supposed to be the hero to stop the apocalypse.

Sam knew his brother was a good person, one of the best people Sam would probably ever know if he was being honest, but he certainly wasn't the poster boy for sainthood. He'd probably take offense to the consideration and kick-off to a bar if someone implied it.

Maybe that was why Dean was doing it. The thought suddenly popped into his mind and seemed a little plausible. He knew that Castiel and his brother scraped each other a bit still, maybe this was a way of acting out and showing the angel that he wasn't in Heaven's pocket all the way just yet.

But even if that was his initial reason, Sam worried it might change into something more invested than that. Alec was considerably more dangerous than the lost puppy Dean was pretending he was.

At least Bobby was an ally when it came to 'Alec'. The gruff hunter had been concerned from the start about becoming too attached to something that they might have to put a bullet into but Dean had countered with the insistence that if it came to that, he would pull the trigger himself. Neither of the other two could tell whether or not Dean was lying more to them or himself.

Sam had brought the idea to Bobby that Alec could be partially psychic or coercive. It would explain how he could tell when Castiel had been reading his mind - something Dean had told them both about - and it could be the reason that the only person he'd spoken to was becoming increasingly protective of him.

Bobby said he'd look into it and now all Sam could do was wait. In the meantime, the older hunter had heard a rumor of a possible demon attack that stunk to high heaven of Seal breaking and possible angel radio interference. He sent a few nearby contacts to go take care of it since the Winchesters and himself were trying to figure out their own mystery. Bobby had gotten a call back that there were demons involved and the girl they were after was taken to a safe house. Sam was itching to go out and see what role this 'Anna' was playing in the mix but instead, he turned to the basement door.

He sighed and carried in the tray of lunch food, checking through the slot to see that the chimera was behaving normally, he opened the door and walked in. Unlike previous times, Alec didn't move from where he sat on the bed.

Sam huffed. "Food's here. Are you going to come and get it or not?"

Alec pushed himself to his feet slowly and Sam's shoulders pulled tight in preparation for a fight. This was probably it. The kid had some sort of trick up his sleeve… Sam waited for an attack. He knew the teen was crazy fast due to tinkering in his DNA and Sam was braced to react.

Alec shuffled a few steps and Sam frowned. The thing was _wobbling_ like he was off-balance or something. He made it a good five feet before doubling over with a groan of pain.

_Don't react. It's a trick. It has to be a trick._ Sam told himself. "Alright, community theater is done for the day now. C'mon or I'll take it back upstairs." Alec didn't react beyond sinking to his knees, shivering and taking shallow breaths like he was _dying_. "Alec, I'm not buying it. Cut the crap and grab the food."

Sam tried to smother it, but his unease was growing that this might not be an act. "Alec?"

The transgenic arched backward so sharply Sam felt discomfort in his own spine at the image before he set the tray down and slowly approached. Alec had since collapsed entirely on the floor, partially curled up as spasms jerked muscles with no warning given.

_Seizures. What do you do for seizures_? Sam wracked his brain for answers. He quickly arranged Alec to be on his side and tried to decide what to do next from conflicting advice he remembered.

"Alec? Are you still conscious? I can't tell."

Somewhere between the frantic gasps for air, Sam got an answer. "_He-elp. Pl-plea-_" Alec managed before a rough jolt went through him.

"What can I do to help? What do you need me to to do?"

The main focus was obviously to keep breathing so Sam had to wait. "_M-m-mi-lk. N-n-nee-d-d m-m-il-k-k._"

"Milk? Can you drink anything right now?" Sam asked in alarm.

"_N-no. A-a-aft-aft-ter_."

"What do I do until then?" Sam asked, trying to keep from freaking out and making things worse.

Alec opened his mouth to answer but his jaw snapped shut and all Sam could hear was the grinding of teeth.

This was not good. This was _very_ not good.

The repetitive sound of a skull hitting the concrete floor didn't sound okay at all. The kid was burning up and starting to sweat through his clothes. Sam found himself carefully reaching under Alec's torso to lever him up slightly so his head rested on Sam's folded leg at the knee. That accomplished, Sam pulled out his phone and called Dean, knowing he'd help.

"_What is it?_" Dean's immediate response told Sam that at least his location was known.

"It's Alec. He's-"

"-_Did he hurt you? Did he bust out?_" Dean sounded instantly on edge.

Sam glanced down at the worryingly pale and sweating kid that was barely conscious on the floor. "No. I'm fine, he's not. Bring down a gallon of milk and a bunch of blankets as quick as you can."

"_Wait, what?_"

"JUST DO IT," Sam insisted. Alec jolted sharply and a whine squeaked out of him.

"_Got it._"

There was a click on the line and Sam pocketed the phone. The youngest Winchester couldn't keep himself from wanting to somehow reassure the chimera that was seizing so horribly. He felt a bit of guilt associated with it too from having thought it was a ploy.

To be fair, he didn't have much reason to _trust_ the transgenic, but this was quite clearly not an act. Alec would've acted before Sam had called for help if he was trying to escape somehow.

Brushing a hand across the too-pale skin of Alec's forehead, Sam cringed in sympathy. "It's okay. You're gonna be alright. Dean's bringing stuff to help. Just keep breathing," He muttered in endless cycles while Alec hissed air in and out through tightly clenched teeth.

A short while later, Dean appeared with the requested item and knelt down next to Sam and Alec. "Yeesh, Sammy, what did you _do_ to him?"

"I didn't do anything," Sam snapped.

Dean raised an eyebrow at him and then seemed to slump. "Okay. Okay, I know. Alec, you hearin' me okay?"

Alec's bucking was slowly dying down and his breathing seemed to be getting deeper and easier. He gave a tired nod and seemed to be melting into the floor from exhaustion though his jaw was still locked up pretty tightly.

"We got milk for you. You up for it right now?" Sam asked.

Another nod followed by a cringe as Alec feebly attempted to use his elbows to push him up.

"Woah, woah, hold on a second." Dean reached under Alec's back and helped pull him into sitting position. Sam grabbed the half-full milk gallon and popped off the cap before holding it up for Alec to drink. The kid slowly moved his jaw muscles and opened his mouth as the taught muscles in his body eased back.

A few intermittent gulps later, Alec weakly waved the gallon away and tipped slowly to take up residence on the floor.

Sam shook his head and motioned to Dean who nodded back. They both scooped Alec up, with only a mild groan of protest, and carried him over to the cot.

"'_M 'kay. Jss leef m't'di,_" He muttered upon landing on the mattress.

"What?" Dean asked.

Sam tried to stifle a snort of laughter. "I'm pretty sure he has your sense of drama. He said to leave him to die." He hesitated for only a second before pointing out. "Sounds just like you when you've got a flu bug."

Dean swatted him on the arm. "I do _not_ act like that," Sam just chuckled in response. "Whatever. Alec, you gonna be alright? Where did that come from?"

Alec moaned and draped an arm across his eyes. "S-ser-rto-nn D-defish-ciency. Tryp-tophan h-helps it hurt less."

"These are gonna happen _more_?" Sam asked.

The transgenic hissed slightly. "_Shh-shh_. L-later. Head's gonna s-'splode," he hiccuped.

"_Alright_. _Later,_" Sam relented in a whisper. Dean turned to walk out the door.

"_You got him?_" Sam nodded. He got up briefly and collected the blankets that Dean had carried down. He draped a few over the shaky form on the bed before turning to watch his brother leave.

"_Thanks, S'm._"

Sam almost missed the hoarse voice. He glanced over, meeting tired-looking green eyes that were so alarmingly familiar and yet foreign, and gave a slight nod.


	5. Chapter 5

It was only a matter of time before the angel, Castiel, returned. Alec believed well enough now what he was. Dean had given him the big bad "B" speech.

He wished he'd gotten the "A" speech instead. The "A" speech was simple. "A" speech was introductions, bringing the supernatural to light, calm yet determined repetitions of "but we'll keep you safe, that's our job" to comfort the anxious civilians who got tangled up in supernatural affairs.

Alec got the "B" speech. He got no comfort from the words. He'd had the basic introductions before including learning Bobby's name, and had now been told about the supernatural, followed by "and you count as one of them so… we don't trust you, we're keeping our distance from you, and we heavily advise you not to feel at ease should we need to kill you for any reason". Needless to say, it was less reassuring than he'd hoped.

It only added to the proof that he was _bad_, that he was a monster. Actually, worse according to Castiel. But a small part of him wanted to ask Dean or even skeptical Sam if there could be good monsters. To ask if he could be one of those kinds instead. He always held back, though. He wasn't a child. He knew what kind of monster he was, all he could do now was maybe try to change it but it seemed he was defective as a human and as a monster and yet still here just to screw with the balance of the universe.

He could tell that redemption wasn't going to really be an option the second he saw Castiel and Dean in the doorway, the latter looking weighed and the former as stone-faced as Alec had known him to be. The hair on the back of Alec's neck bristled at the sight of the angel. Dean waved for 'Cas', as he'd taken to calling him, to leave them alone before walking in himself.

"Hey, Dean," He muttered, half-hoping this was some sort of prank or that he'd misread the situation and body language.

Dean's usual cautious smile was wobbling a bit. "Kid… listen, I-..."

Alec nodded. "I know already." And he did. Looking up, he saw a hint of sadness on Dean's face.

He hadn't felt so small and helpless since the escape as he had when Dean had walked in, but knowing he'd be missed… even just a little… kinda made him feel a tiny bit better. 494 had never thought he could be missed before.

He stared at his fingers, not knowing what to do with them as he sat waiting on the bed. He knew Dean had his hands wrapped around the pearl-grip handle of the pistol already.

The click as the bullet slid into place seemed to echo and Alec shivered slightly before closing his eyes and forcing himself to take a deep breath.

And another.

And another.

He could sense the weapon trained on him, poised and ready. Dean was trained to do this stuff… Shouldn't something have happened already?

"Dean, you're kinda making this worse," Alec admitted, feeling anxiety seep deeper into his core with every passing second. "Could you-... Could you just make it quick? I-..."

He flinched hard when Dean growled and the next thing he heard was the safety clicking on. He looked up as Dean tucked the gun into his waistband at the small of his back and pointed a stern finger at the confused transgenic.

"Listen. I don't trust you. Don't get comfy. I don't like you and I don't care about you. I'll be back and I'll follow through next time." He spun on the spot and left Alec staring after him.

Maybe Dean wasn't used to killing something that didn't fight back. It would explain why Alec was still breathing.

_I don't like you and I don't care about you_. Alec sniffed slightly. Well, so much for being missed.

* * *

Dean could feel Castiel openly staring at him in barely concealed shock as he walked past and made his way up the stairs. It was an uncharacteristic show of emotion but the hunter ignored him. It didn't last long because the grim face was waiting for him at the top of the stairs once he got there.

"Why is he still there? I gave you a direct _order_," Castiel's gravelly voice rumbled. Dean almost winced sympathetically for the poor vessel tucked inside somewhere who was getting laryngitis.

"Go seek some more 'enlightenment' cause you made the wrong call," Dean replied simply.

"That creature is more dangerous than you know. His very existence is-"

"-Yeah, I know, blasphemy against heaven, proof that science has gone too far, yadda yadda yadda. I read the Mary Shelley book, okay."

"Then why do you let him continue?" The angel demanded.

"Because I got a different moral out of the story, alright? And I'm not sure how spot on your orders have been of late." It wasn't more than three months since the Samhain fiasco. It seemed more and more like angels were gambling just as much as the rest of them.

"You are not in a position to question the will of Heaven."

"Well, then who _**is**_?!" Dean snapped finally. "Who tells you guys to _stop_? Where are the lines in the sand cause it seems to me like as soon as it's convenient, you guys flap your wings and float past 'em!"

"The chimera fits the important criteria for you as a hunter. I've accepted long ago that you would be rebellious and difficult in nearly every task I assign to you, but I had believed you would not allow this abomination to continue to risk the timelines currently in effect simply because I asked you to."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "_Asked?_ I thought you _ordered_ me to. Those aren't the same thing, Cas. And what do you mean timelines?"

The angel seemed to regret his outburst. "The current timeline in effect is being altered the more he plays a part in it. Things have _changed_ because he exists. Plans and prophecies are being _altered_ because he is down those stairs. Heaven's plan to stop Lucifer is becoming _unraveled _because you didn't have the strength to eliminate him," Cas warned. "Millions of lives could be lost."

The oldest Winchester nodded slowly. "Except that's not the only way timelines work, Cas."

"Excuse me?" Cas's eyes narrowed.

"If he's changing the rules and millions of lives could be _lost_, then millions more could also be _saved_, Cas. We don't know what he's doing, fine. I get it. Upstairs is flippin' out because they don't have an accurate map of how the universe is going to run for the next few decades. I think that doesn't really sound that bad. If Team Halo is getting thrown off, Team Pitchfork is probably just as disoriented."

"We knew we could win before, Dean. Now we know nothing as long as that creature breathes."

"That _creature_ is called Alec," Dean pointed out. "And I don't think that killing a freaking thirteen year old for the crime of being made funny is gonna do much to save the world."

"It _will_."

"And if that's the price, I don't know how much we deserve saving," Dean shot back. He took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face. "Kill a twenty-somethin' year old virgin to _maybe_ kill a bunch of demons, or shoot a kid point-blank so both sides of the map figure out their game plans again. **No.** Sometimes the cost isn't worth it, Cas. Sacrifice isn't always worth it."

The angel stared at the hunter in shock and anger. "But sometimes it is. That 'Alec' as you call him has taken dozens of lives, both corrupt and innocent. His soul is spotted with those lives."

"And how dark is mine? How am I in the clear and he doesn't make the cut?" His throat felt dry at the near confession. Screams echoed in his mind, unbidden as he tried to block out memories.

"You were meant to be here, Dean. He never was. It's still unclear to me how his kind even came into _being_, but they should not have."

Dean shook his head. "Cas… Let me think about this. Leave him alone for now. I'll handle it whichever way I decide and the axe falls. It's on _me._" He pushed past the angel but paused after a few steps. "And by the way, I heard about that Anna girl. I don't know why you and Uriel are after her, but I hope she gets far, _far_ away from you cause right now, your orders all seem to suck."

The angel glowered at him, but there was a hint of uncertainty detected by Dean that made him feel more at ease when his grudging guardian angel left.

Now to break the news to Sam and Bobby.

* * *

His knee had been bouncing up and down for two hours before he swallowed the conflicting thoughts in his head and looped his arms around his knees where he had them propped up on the bed, his socked feet halfway off the edge.

It had been bad before, not knowing if he could somehow convince the hunters to let him go, to teach him to be better if that's what it took, and now it was ten times worse. He was waiting for termination. He knew it. He couldn't fight it. He hated _waiting_ for it more than _anything_, though.

He'd been trying to uncoil his muscles and relax for the last three hours since Dean had walked out. It wasn't working. A quick bullet would've been fine. He wouldn't have anything to worry about if it was done and over with but _waiting_… Alec had never been patient. It had landed him in solitary more than once and two trips to Psy-Ops.

Physical torture was something he'd been designed and trained to withstand, but mental torture was a whole other branch that Manticore had never covered when it came to defenses.

This room was painfully small now. Alec was certain the walls had been inching closer to him in the last few minutes. The fan in the ceiling did nothing to cool down the heat from the light above it.

_I don't trust you._

_I don't like you._

_I'll be back._

His muscles tensed, aching to run several hundred laps around the room but the weight in his stomach wouldn't let him move. It hardly even let him breathe. He didn't want to die, _it wasn't **fair**_**.** Nothing was ever fair for him.

But at least… Dean and Sam had been nice to him, nicer than most people had ever bothered to be. Alec had seen that Dean was sad to have to kill him. Even if Dean wouldn't miss him, if he didn't like or trust him, being sad for him was nicer than Manticore.

All he could do was wait for Dean to return - Alec could tell he'd want to make sure he did the job himself - and hope it was sooner rather than later.


	6. Chapter 6

**Are you ready for some tension? No? Too bad.**

* * *

The debate was long and tiring which was impressive considering it was entirely in Dean's mind with very minor commentary from Sam or Bobby. Cas was nothing close to a neutral party to Dean, so Dean was avoiding asking him for his input but had to acknowledge some of the points made.

He didn't know much about 'timeline interference', but if the kid had taken lives, that couldn't be taken lightly. The _reason,_ however, was something Dean couldn't understand. Alec didn't seem like other monsters Dean had fought against which is why he was still alive, if on lockdown until further notice. He didn't seem particularly violent by nature, crime reports in Sioux Falls or the surrounding towns hadn't shown any dramatic attacks on people apart from the usual bar brawls, and he ate normal food which narrowed down the list of motives to a confusingly small number of ideas.

He was tempted to ask him. His hand rested on the door handle leading to the basement so many times, but he never opened it. He couldn't walk down there and ask Alec because if he was wrong and Alec really was dangerous, Dean might still not be able to follow through. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to learn he was wrong so in the meantime, Alec was ignored.

Sam was still going down there occasionally to see if Alec needed anything or was hungry. Dean was staring at the door as Sam came back upstairs looking concerned.

"Dean, you need to figure this out. Now," Sam ordered.

Dean shook his head to refocus. "Bobby said we should go out and try to find this 'Anna' chick. Apparently, she's a liability so we need to-"

"-We already have one 'liability' Dean and you haven't figured out what to do about _him_ yet."

"What am I _supposed_ to do? I can't just plug the kid if I don't know he's actually _guilty_ of anything-"

"Then find out if he's guilty or not," Sam concluded. "You can read him better than I can. Go and find out the truth."

"And if he _is_?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You said you didn't have a problem taking him out if he wasn't who we thought. Are you saying you can't?"

"_No,_" Dean snapped. _Maybe._

"It's _okay_ if you _can't_, Dean. You've gotten more attached than me or Bobby. I've been down there more too, though and I get it. Alec seems like a decent kid. But if it needs to be one of us, Bobby or I can do it."

"No. I need to do it."

"Then figure it out. Soon."

Dean paused and studied his brother. "Why?"

"Because it's been three days since you couldn't pull the trigger and he's refusing to eat. I don't think he's slept either. It's like you freaked him out so badly that he's trying to beat you to the punch or something."

Dean scrubbed his hand through his hair and nodded before turning to the door. "Well, what're we waiting for then," He asked a little darkly.

The stairs creaked under the brothers' weight as they descended. Dean wondered offhand when the novelty of Bobby's homemade supernatural bomb shelter would wear off. His eyes settled on the door and something heavy settled in his stomach.

Sam patted his shoulder to keep him moving. The slot opened and his eyes found the despondent-looking figure on the bed.

The brothers opened the door a second later and froze. It was empty. The room was _empty_.

Sam's eyes darted around frantically, trying to figure out where their resident chimera could've gone but Dean stayed absolutely still. His eyes found the deadbolt in the center of the room and followed the chain links to the desk off to the left side of the room.

He glanced at Sam who looked at him questioningly and shook his head 'no' before mouthing "_broke loose"_. Dean gave a strained smile and shook his head right back.

Dean walked over to the desk slowly, deliberately, and making sure no one could mistake his footsteps before he tapped on the old wood. "Kid. Come out, we need to talk."

There was a low sort of growl from under the desk that Dean looked mildly perturbed by. He sighed and looked down at the form underneath.

Alec kicked the desk, ramming it into Dean's legs and rolling him sideways over the wood and onto the floor. He then threw the matched chair at Sam and blurred at the younger Winchester while he ducked. Dean scrambled to his feet, reaching for his pistol as Sam was launched into the wall. The transgenic spun back to look at Dean and Sam dragged himself upright again. The barrel of the gun was unwavering.

Dean waited. The trouble was, Alec seemed to be waiting too. His hands twitched. "Stand down, kid."

"Or what?" The teen bared his teeth in a snarl. "Just _do_ it already! We both know you're going to."

"Do we?" Dean asked, bemused by the detail he had just noticed. Alec's nose and ears were decidedly pink at the moment. A stress tell.

Alec growled again. "Cut the crap! You told me yourself! You've told me since Day 1!"

Sam cringed as he got back to his feet, watching the scene unfold warily. "Alec, we came down here to talk. Let's just calm dow-"

"-DON'T TELL ME TO FREAKING CALM DOWN!" Alec roared. Dean heard the crack in his voice.

Alec surged forward toward the oldest Winchester for a few steps but the safety clicking off timed the end of his movement. "You said you'd do it so _do it_. Get it _**over with**_."

"Alec, I don't know what you're doing, but it's not gonna happen," Dean said simply. "You don't seem to know what I'm here to do."

Sam started to move forward but Alec shot a glare at him and he stopped in his tracks. The chimera turned back to Dean. "You said you hunted monsters. Do your job! You already know what I am. Quit drawing it out. Just _do it!_" Alec ordered.

Dean paid less attention to the words than to the body language. Hands were clenching and unclenching, shoulders were shaking slightly. Breathing was quick and anxious and Dean trailed his gaze up to the green eyes that matched his own and read them easily. "No."

The two-letter word sent Alec into an eerie calm as his eyes widened for barely a split second and then narrowed to slits. "Stop it." His voice was gravelly from rage. "Stop _lying_. Stop _**pretending**_."

"I'm not pretending," The oldest Winchester answered and his eyes flicked to the side. "Sam, go outside."

Sam started walking and Alec stepped in front of the door. "Alec." The warning in his voice was obvious.

"_Don't_ talk to me like I'm a kid."

Dean took the opportunity to move a bit closer. "You are a kid."

"_I'M A MONSTER!_" Alec shouted, stepping forward once again and tallying fingers on his hand. "You said so _yourself_. Your _angel_ said so. _Sam_ said so. _Bobby_ said so. Just _**get it over with!**_ Do it! Do it now! Or I'll-!"

"-You'll _what_?" Dean prodded.

Alec darted at Sam but was stopped short as Sam dashed through the doorway and the cuff on Alec's ankle pulled the line taut. "I'll kill him! I'll do it!" He grabbed frantically at Sam, fingers brushing the fabric of Sam's shirt. The tall hunter maneuvered out of the way and now stared in shock at the close call.

Dean had lined-up for a kill shot when Alec had gone for Sam but was now glad he'd hesitated. He saw the frustration in the teen's posture, the fury in his eyes when he turned once more to Dean, but Dean wasn't worried. For emphasis, he held the gun out to the side, released the magazine, and tossed the piece onto the bed.

"_Dean,_" Sam warned but Dean ignored his brother for the moment.

Alec was having none of it. "**I'll kill him! I'll do it! I'll kill you too! I'll kill **_**all of you**_**!**"

Dean shook his head. "No. No, you won't."

Alec started charging him again but once again staggered before reaching his target, shoulders shaking hard as his knees buckled and he buried his head in his hands. Dean crouched in front of him.

"You're not gonna hurt anyone, and especially not yourself despite _trying_ to get yourself killed just now," He informed him lowly. "You're gonna take a few and cool down. I'll come back and we're gonna talk about a few things, okay? And then you're gonna eat something cause Sam's getting all mother-hennish and it's freaking annoying. In the meantime, get it out of your system. Calm down. We're gonna work some things out."

Without a reply, he stood up - pausing to pick up the magazine and gun just in case - and walked out, ignoring Sam's shocked expression as he closed the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

**And here's some resolution**

* * *

True to his word, Dean came back after about an hour. Alec had heard some shouting from upstairs but no discernable words before it died down to a muffled discussion. Then, the footsteps had dispersed and Alec's ears tracked the one set led to the basement.

He sat on the bed again but this time he didn't hide in the split-second between Dean peering through the grate and opening the door… because no one peered through the grate. Dean just walked in.

Alec tried to get a read on him, but the expression wasn't one he was familiar with. There was a sort of concentrated focus about him and Alec braced himself for the first strike.

Preemptively, there was only one thing he could do. "'M sorry, sir."

The hunter sat down next to him, making the bed creak on the hinges attaching it to the wall. Alec flinched, _waiting_. Maybe Dean would start by shouting at him, reminding him of all the things he'd done wrong and betrayed their trust. Or, maybe he'd pushed too far and Dean was gonna tell him that they were just gonna leave him there to rot.

"You've got some anger problems, Alec," Dean started slowly and Alec shivered. "I know you do, you're too similar to me and me as a teenager was a blur full of fistfights."

Alec just blinked, unsure of whether or not he should respond. "Yes, sir."

Dean continued. "I guess it's part of the trade-off. You've gotten my looks somehow so to balance out the universe you've got some of the emotional crap too and I'm sorry about that. I get that you don't like feeling trapped either so I'm gonna try to respect that a bit more," Dean continued before turning to face Alec.

The X5 was watching closely for the other shoe to drop. The nice Dean would leave very soon. Any second now it would start. Alec knew how this worked.

"But you don't go after Sam. Or Bobby. You don't start targeting people just cause you're pissed and frustrated. You don't get that luxury because you can do some permanent damage with those fists of fury that you've got there thanks to your genetic tinkering."

Alec's eyes returned to the ground. "I'm sorry, sir."

Dean nodded in approval and Alec caught it out of the corner of his eye. "That's fine. But you also need to apologize to Sam. He's too girly with that long hair of his, you scared him and it's a miracle he didn't shriek like a 9-year-old."

Alec felt something of a smile tug at his mouth but he squashed it. He might not be getting yelled at yet, but he didn't want to remind Dean of that. The hunter angled himself to get Alec to look at him. "Nothing? Thought that'd get some kind of reaction out of you. Huh."

He straightened up again. "Anyways, I'm sorry too. I kept you down here probably going out of your mind with panic and I'm sorry about that. I don't know if you're gonna complain that I didn't shoot you off the bat and waited to inform you, but I'm hoping it never comes to that so you can relax."

Those were not the words Alec was expecting. _Dean _was sorry? This was a trap. The transgenic turned and narrowed his eyes and deliberately meeting Dean's. "I don't believe you."

_This is a lie. Stop pretending. Stop __**faking**__. You said you didn't care._

A shrug. "Well, I can't make you believe me if you don't want to. I get that it might take some time, but maybe someday you will."

"Your angel friend told you to get rid of me," Alec reminded, pushing again. _Drop the act. You hate me. Throw the first punch already._

Dean's face scrunched up slightly, seemingly oblivious to the challenging tone. "Eh, Cas might be an angel but he's still got a lot to learn about the world and people living in it. He's gonna have to be okay with my decision or we'll have problems with _him_, not the other way around."

"He told you I was a monster. I've killed people. I know he probably told you," Alec continued, unsure if he really wanted to keep pushing anymore.

"He did," Dean admitted. "And maybe you have taken lives. D'you mind telling me why you did it? What made you?"

The transgenic felt almost like he was falling but with less gravity than usual. This whole situation was too surreal and he didn't know when it was going to start making sense. When was Dean going to hit him? Was he waiting to hear how evil Alec was first? To make him feel guilty so he wouldn't fight back? "The-... The ones that made me, they created me to do jobs for them."

"Jobs like killing people?"

Alec nodded. He _was _guilty. There was no use in denying it. "Or stealing information; anything they needed really." He let himself detach from the confession. He didn't want to feel it when Dean looked at him in disgust and horror. Dean would realize that Castiel had been right about him all along. "I've killed dozens of people. I could look them in the eyes when I did it too. Other times I never even got that close, just matched their picture to the face in the scope. Anything they told me to do, I did it."

"So you didn't know better," Dean decided. "They made you do that. Something tells me they didn't teach you right or wrong in that whole mix."

"I still-..." Alec shook his head. "I still knew it had to be wrong. I ruined people's _lives_, I _took_ people's lives. I didn't care either, I just didn't want to get in trouble." The faces were back, flashing in front of his eyes. He felt on edge and jittery. Blood rushing in his ears grew to a louder intensity. "I've done lots and _lots_ of bad things. Even after I broke out, I stole from people, I would fight people sometimes when I didn't have to. I never killed again, but only because it would leave a trail. I could've done it. I might've. I don't know."

"Alec, I know you did bad things. I've done bad things too, I can promise you they were worse than anything you could've been forced to do," Dean responded, a slightly shaky quality to his voice as he confessed. "But doing bad things, especially if someone was making you do them, it doesn't make _you _a bad thing. At the very least, not forever. Not as long as you want to be better, as you _try_ to be better."

Alec's vision blurred over slightly and he shook his head again. "I almost hurt Sam earlier. I _wanted _to hurt him. I wanted to hurt you too."

A strange weight settled across Alec's shoulders and his nerves braced for pain, for a fight… but at the same time, he didn't want to shake Dean's arm away. "But you didn't. You held back. That's good. You controlled the anger instead of letting it act for you." Alec was pulled gently into Dean's side. He smelled like leather, gunpowder, and steel. Scents that were familiar to Alec's senses. "You're not bad. You might think you are, but you're not."

Alec squeezed his eyes tightly. This couldn't be happening. This was a _trick_; it _had_ to be a trick. He shivered more but he wasn't cold and couldn't seem to stop. It was too much. It was _too much_. Dean's voice was too calm and _honest_ and he wasn't pushing Alec away and running like any sane individual _ought to_.

_You're not bad. You held back. You're not bad. You didn't know better. You're not bad. _

_I'm sorry. _

_You're not bad._

How could those words be _**real**_?

It was **too much**. A drop of saltwater paved an itchy trail down his cheek and more soon followed. His nose stuffed up quickly and he buried his face in his hands. Emotions were a _weakness_, a _liability_. He'd be thrown in the basement for this behavior back at Manticore. He'd be tested for defects.

Dean wrapped his other arm around Alec and pulled him tighter, containing the shivering a little more and making Alec worry about getting snot on Dean's shirt. He was about to push away when Dean's voice rumbled again.

"_You're not bad. You're not a monster. Not to me._"

Dean was lying. He _had_ to be. Alec was almost, _almost_ certain of it but that stupid part of his brain that didn't listen to reason clung to those words like they were water in the desert. His arms shook and then latched onto Dean with embarrassing ferocity. He stared over Dean's shoulder at the wall and froze, feeling awkward and unable to move further.

He felt his hair being ruffled slightly and a gentle pressure guiding his face to smoosh softly into Dean's shoulder. His breathing devolved further into hiccups and the tears didn't stop. He wanted to run away. This was _weakness_. _**Weakness**_.

But Dean didn't seem to care. Dean wasn't yelling at him or hitting him. Dean was still holding him and, for some strange reason, that seemed okay even though it didn't make sense of Alec in the slightest. His head ached from the stress and he didn't want to think anymore. He was so tired.

As long as Dean was okay with it, Alec could stay there and pretend. Pretend the words were true. Pretend nothing more would hurt. Pretend like he was an Ordinary. Like he was just a regular kid. Like Dean cared and would never stop caring.

What would that be like?

Alec dropped the thought and focused on trying to stop his breakdown. It took several minutes and his head still throbbed with his heart. He wasn't sure how he _felt_ though. He felt warm inside in a weird way and knew that had to be coming from Dean somehow.

The hunter was still mussing Alec's hair as though no time had passed but Alec was counting. These might be the best 453 seconds of his life. 454. 455. He might happily count to infinity.

And then he blew it.

His feline DNA struck full force as he sat up a little and stretched, fully intending to settle back into the warm - _what were these called again? Hugs? The tv said hugs_ \- hug for another hour if possible.

Instead, Dean moved back and stretched himself. Alec felt the warmth fading. He didn't want Dean to go. He didn't want to be left alone down here again.

Dean just yawned and tapped Alec's knee. "Here, lemme see your foot."

Alec was slow to follow the request but soon his foot was on the bed. Dean pulled a key out of his pocket and deftly unlocked the cuff around Alec's ankle. The chimera stared in confusion at the unexpected release.

"Right. We've got a room upstairs that's already set up. I'm right across the hall, Sam's room is next to mine, and Bobby's at the end. There're a couple more boxes of old clothes up there too that you can sort through and see what fits and what you wanna wear. Also, we're having dinner in a bit and I meant it when I said you had to eat something," Dean informed him.

"I-... what?"

Dean mussed Alec's hair and stood up slowly. "Come on. You're technically on parole cause Bobby's still a little worried and Cas is going to be glaring at my every move for the rest of the month or so, but for all intents and purposes, you're moving in officially," He paused. "Unless of course, you want to stay down here cause it's so _cozy_ to you."

Alec waited. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but he waited. Maybe he was waiting for Dean to laugh and tell him it was all a joke. That he was stupid for falling for it and weak for crying. Maybe he was waiting for a bullet to catch him as soon as he got up to leave. Maybe he was waiting to wake up and be in a cell surrounded by the Anomalies.

He wanted to say something, to ask a question, but none of the words were there anymore. He opened his mouth to try to summon them, maybe a 'thank you' or a 'very funny' or even a 'who's hiding behind the door to shoot me?' but nothing came to him.

Dean seemed to pick up on the hesitance. "Alec, it's not a trick. We can stay here a little longer if you need to, but I think you should get to know the house a little bit."

Finally, a word sprang up from the dry well. "Why?" It was rasped and cracked, but still present.

The hunter bit his lip slightly as he tried to think of what to say. "Because I think you're a good kid and you just don't know it yet, but you deserve a chance to try it out."

"I don't…" Alec grit his teeth. Admitting weakness was a mistake. "I don't understand."

None of what just happened made any sense.

"Then let me help teach you."


	8. Chapter 8

The kid ate like he was on the brink of starvation. Sam could tell he was skinny for his age - though Dean was pretty close then too - but he inhaled food at every meal, not just the first few.

The first dinner together, Alec had practically licked his plate clean and then sat stock still for nearly a minute before Dean asked if he wanted seconds. He'd actually nearly demanded the kid have seconds but chastised him about eating slower so he wouldn't make himself sick. If Sam hadn't known any better, he would've thought the kid had never heard of getting more than one serving. That totally couldn't be the case, though. Right? _Right_?

He had to ignore the stabs of pain in his chest when Alec had stared dumbfounded at being offered more food. He shoved all of the implications and emotions related to that wide-eyed look deep down to be compacted and repressed more at a later time.

Sam still didn't trust the chimera very much. Alec had threatened to kill him earlier that first day even if Dean explained that he hadn't really meant it and made him apologize. But Dean desperately wanted to give the kid a chance so he was trying. It was strange though when Alec demonstrated his abilities sometimes. Whether it was picking up heavy car parts, zooming around the salvage yard when Dean told him to get rid of his energy, or repeating paragraphs from something he'd read with ease, it weirded Sam out.

They were useful skills, though. Sam had asked Dean when they were going to start asking about the place Alec had come from but Dean wanted him to be comfortable first. Sam wasn't convinced but ever since the seizure thing he knew they needed more information on Alec's background.

He was considering this deeply, ignoring the words on the lore book in front of him for several minutes before there was a knock on the door.

"Jody! Hi!" Sam grinned as the sheriff stepped into the house. "Everything okay?"

"Hi, Sam," She nodded. "Everything's calm at the station if that's what you mean." Jody glanced around the place as the tension eased from her shoulders. "Just thought I'd check-in for an update on the speedster."

Sam ran a hand through his hair and shook it out. "Well, it's complicated in some ways since we caught him."

The creak of Bobby's back door and footsteps heralded new arrivals to the conversation.

"Complicated how?" Jody began before Dean walked into the room with Alec right behind him.

Dean paused but smiled at the familiar face. "Hey, Jody! How's it going?" He stepped forward and pulled the sheriff into a hug.

"Uh, fine I guess, I…" She trailed off, staring at the smaller version of Dean with wonder.

Alec, for his part, had seen the visitor and frozen. When Dean moved forward, he took several steps back as he watched the scene with wide eyes.

All eyes turned to the transgenic.

"Alec, you okay, kid?" Dean began slowly. "This is Jody. She's a friend."

"She's a _cop_," Alec corrected and stepped back again. His expression was stone as his attention shifted furiously between Dean and Jody, landing only a few times on Sam. "I-… You said I could stay. I-"

"Yeah, Alec, I told you-"

"-Did I do something _wrong_? Did I-"

Alec was wound up tightly and ready to spring into an escape but Dean caught his shoulders. "No. You didn't do anything wrong. Jody is a friend. She's probably just here to see what's going on."

Sam couldn't see what was in Dean's eyes when he spoke, but he could guess from the way Alec slowly showed signs of relaxing. "I'm still good?"

Dean ruffled the kid's hair. "You're still good."

Alec nodded once and turned his attention to the sheriff. Jody's jaw was still slack but with the tension resolved, she pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side.

"Well, I suppose that _is_ an update," She strolled forward and Alec moved closer to Dean. "Hi there, I'm Jody Mills."

She crouched a little and held a hand out to shake. Alec looked skeptical but shook it slowly. "Alec."

"Nice to meet you, Alec," she smiled warmly at him and he looked at the ground. "Does that mean I'll be seeing more of you boys around here?"

Sam glanced from Dean to the kid quickly but the concern still niggled at the back of his mind. "We'll probably stick around until things are a little more settled. But hey," he gestured to the kitchen. "D'you want some coffee or something? Bobby's in town getting stuff for dinner but he should be back soon if you needed to talk to him too."

Jody agreed and Dean and Alec excused themselves to go upstairs. Dean was determined to pull more of the VHS classics that Bobby had collected for the kid to watch.

Waiting until they were out of earshot, Jody sat down in a chair and pointed at the ceiling. "So, what's the story with that? How does he look so much like Dean? Is he a shapeshifter?"

Sam put water on and huffed. "I don't even know. He's not a shapeshifter that we can tell. At least silver doesn't do anything and he seemed shocked looking at an old picture of Dean. So I don't think Alec chose to look like him, but I can't help the feeling he's got an idea that he's not sharing with the class."

"So, what is this exactly you've got going on?"

The younger Winchester plopped in the seat next to her. "I have no clue. The kid seems nice," Sam waved a hand. "But there's so much he isn't telling us. We don't know where he _came from_ or how he can do all the things he can do. Like -" He broke off and turned to face her head-on. "So, Cas told us he's basically a science experiment so he does all the super speed and strength stuff from genetic tinkering, but the kid has _training_. Dean took him to the backyard to go over shooting and Alec knew how to use the gun better than half the hunters we come across. But for some reason, Dean is acting like there are no red flags here. He's basically adopting the kid."

"So that's why there's a big ol' cloud over your head?" Jody smirked. "Sounds like a weird situation, though, I agree. You said a _science experiment_?"

Sam nodded and sighed, smoothing out the worry lines on his face. "And that's basically all the info we have on _that_ whole deal. I mean, don't get me wrong; like I said, he seems like a nice kid. Probably been through a whole lot of crap from what we've noticed. He's eager to please and follow orders but it's almost like he _needs_ it. It's a bit freaky sometimes and I just-"

"-don't know," Jody finished. "Have you told Dean about all this?"

"He says the kid'll tell us when he's ready," he threw his hands up. "And maybe he will. But until then, there are medical issues that have come up already and we found out he's been having night terrors a few days ago and there's times that the littlest upset will set off a panic attack. We're doing the best we can, but until he talks to us, we have no idea what we're getting into like what kind of trauma this kid's had, how he ended up on the streets, who even _made_ him and what happened to them. It's just too much."

He slumped in his seat and dropped his face into his hands. A comforting hand patted him on the shoulder.

"I can't say that I know exactly what you're going through, but I do have a feeling this'll work out alright," she said after a moment or two. "I've… I've been considering doing something with the youth in town. Something to… maybe help the healing a little. I've even talked with a few foster parents - not that I'm ready for anything like that - but just to see what kids need. A lot of their concerns were a lot like the things you were saying."

Sam looked up to raise an eyebrow and Jody rolled her eyes. "Apart from the mad scientist bit, obviously," she continued. "But about the kids' past lives, the trauma, even health concerns, that's all the same. And I don't know what to tell you since I'm not an expert by any means… but if you're giving this kid a chance, considering his whole situation, you're probably the best chance he has to be okay. Normal folks won't be able to handle the abilities he has but you and Dean can. You boys have grown up seeing things that I'm certain have left scars and so has he from what you said. Even not knowing, I think you're good for each other."

That was a solid point. It was one that Sam had been thinking about for a while but to hear it vocalized helped him feel validated. He wanted to help the kid, even if he didn't trust him completely, but it was still a lot.

"I think he's good for Dean," he admitted quietly. "That's something that worried me too. If we've got this wrong somehow and Alec is just using us or something, Dean's in this deep. He's been different with the kid around. The whole apocalypse thing has been stressing him out and now he gets to focus on helping a kid. I wonder if he thinks that if Alec's okay, he'll somehow be okay too. And there's… Jody, Dean was in _Hell_. He's just started to let me know some of what he's been carrying and it's a lot. So when I tell him that we need to ask Alec and he tells me to back off, it's like he's saying that more about himself so I don't know how biased he is. I mean, what can cause more self-reflection than a younger version of yourself in need of help? It's a freaking psychologist's paradise."

The sheriff just patted his shoulder again.

"I… I guess I'm feeling the stress too," he admitted. "And I've been trying to be okay for Dean but now there's _two_ and…"

He looked up and saw understanding and _holy crap_ it broke the dam. A shaky breath drifted out of him.

The Winchester family had always been broken and each member was broken in their own special way. They were freaks. They were troubled. They had emotional issues and nightmares that they sucked at talking about. But they were broken and messed up together and somehow that made it work.

Ever since Dad died, there'd been a vacancy that Dean had filled with revenge, regret, and dark thoughts and spending time in _literal Hell_ hadn't helped. With Alec, Sam finally saw snippets of that hole filling up.

The coffee maker dinged and Sam sniffled and rose to his feet. Jody was right, they were Alec's best shot and Sam was just gonna have to try his best and play it by ear.


	9. Chapter 9

**How evil would I be if I just ended it after this chapter? Don't worry. I have way too much of this written to not post the rest. **

**This is going to be a long story but I'll try to keep chapters about the same length.**

* * *

Bobby watched the kid vigilantly. He was tied for the reason why; it was half mistrust and the other half amazement. Alec was _perfectly identical_ to Dean at that age. Bobby had studied that old photograph of Dean grinning after fixing up his first Cadillac and cross-referenced it with the new face joining their ranks.

Dean and Sam had gone off to find Anna. Sam's demon-friend Ruby had shown up at their door and told the boys that she'd gotten hold of Anna and stashed her somewhere heavily warded. So much so that the demon herself couldn't go in anymore, but neither could the angels that were apparently after her as well. One of the hunters Bobby had sent to settle the matter had been killed by a particularly nasty demon by the sound of it and the other turned tail when the wing brigade showed up.

Bobby supposed he should feel better knowing that the girl was safe, but he just felt uncertain and guilty that he'd gotten Cartwright killed (but still grateful it hadn't been his boys) and he wasn't sure how much faith to put in the demon either. And what was going on with the angels? Everything was getting thrown off balance and now he was stuck babysitting a creature he couldn't explain.

The second Ruby had walked into the same room as Alec for the first time, the kid had frozen up. He'd glanced over at the other hunters, ignoring Sam's repetitions of 'we know, but it's okay' and _growled_ strangely like he wasn't even aware of the sound emanating from the back of his throat and edged to the doorway before bolting upstairs. That old saying about animals sensing more than people was itching the back of Bobby's mind ever since.

Dean had vouched for the kid and even Sam seemed to be coming around after the first week or so ever since Jody popped by. Bobby hadn't made up his mind yet. Winchesters were smart, but they could get fooled and no one lasted long as a hunter by trusting easily. The demon on their team had him worried enough without adding a chimera to the mix.

So in a half-compromise, Alec remained behind while Sam and Dean went on the hunt.

Alec had wandered around as soundlessly as a ghost for the first few days with the Winchesters gone. The old hunter couldn't recall seeing a kid his age so jumpy although it might just seem more drastic since Dean at that age had been all charm and confidence. Alec seemed more reminiscent of Dean as a soft-spoken child, unfamiliar in Bobby's rickety old house. As soon as he became more comfortable though, the questions started.

The kid was a motor mouth once he got started. 'How old are you?' 'How long have you lived here?' 'How many cars are in the lot?' 'How many books do you have?' and tangents upon tangents would be let loose the second he got an answer. Bobby eventually thrust a book at him and told him to read it to get him to remain silent for more than five minutes.

Dean said that apparently the kid seemed more at ease when he knew what was expected of him so Bobby should give him a few specific things to do every day like doing laps outside to burn off energy or helping sort things in the attic.

Today, Alec was gonna read some books.

Bobby wasn't comfortably settled just yet, but it had been an hour and he was able to focus on tracking down more omens and possible seals that were salvageable. The kid was over in a nearby chair curled up like he owned the place and reading the book fervently. The hunter scoured the newspaper articles and intermittently tapped the keys of his laptop to check correlation. A sudden snapping sound pulled him from his reverie as Alec stood up, book in both hands, and set it on the desk.

"Could...Could I have another one?" He asked, still obviously not used to being allowed to make requests.

Bobby Singer stared silently at the book title and then at the clock on the wall. "It's been _two hours_."

Alec blinked. "Did you want it back sooner? Sorry, I got carried away I didn't think time constraints would be an issu-"

"You read this entire book in _two hours?_" Bobby held up the Tolkien novel for added clarification.

Alec nodded. "I thought it was a fascinating read."

Bobby slowly sank back into the seat he hadn't realized he'd stood up from. The book wasn't a particularly difficult read… but to have it done in _two hours_? "You... want the next one?"

Green eyes shot wide open. "There's a _next one_?" He breathed.

Bobby didn't think he'd ever seen the kid smile at him since they'd met but the grin on his face now could almost make up for it. Bobby scanned the shelves and tossed him the Fellowship and paused before grabbing the remaining two as well. "Take your time with 'em," He said simply to Alec's slightly awestruck expression.

Another beaming grin and the kid was off and curled up again in the fantasy world. Bobby felt a hint of a smile creep onto his face, not out of sentimentality just yet, but of the irony that Dean's double was on the track of a bookworm while Dean at that age had tragically been pushing away from academics.

Maybe, just maybe, Bobby could be alright with the kid.

* * *

Waking up on the fourth morning, Bobby could feel something was wrong. It was just bone-deep _instinct_ but he'd learned to trust that a long time ago. Without hesitation, he made his way to Alec's room, half-expecting him to be having a seizure like what Sam and Dean had warned Bobby about.

It was empty.

The bed was made in Alec's usual military fashion but the window was open and Alec's stuff was gone. Bobby swore silently to himself, hoping he was wrong, before rushing back to his room and checking for his wallet.

It was as absent as the other room's occupant. Bobby ran a hand down his face and dialed the boys.

* * *

According to Dean, Dean was fine. Sam didn't buy it for a second. He knew his brother too well. Dean was _hurt_ and everybody knew it but no one said a word. Even Anna seemed to pick up that something was troubling the oldest Winchester deeply.

It was just as well that they'd moved Alec to the upstairs when they did since Anna was safest in the panic room, but Sam could tell that his brother wished the previous occupant was somewhere upstairs in the library or watching t.v. in the living room or even right there with them. Now Sam and Bobby got to deal with the coping mechanisms.

Dean did as he always did when he couldn't fix a situation: he threw himself into hunting and drinking with a dangerous zeal.

"Bobby, I'm worried about him," Sam admitted when Dean was finally out of earshot upstairs. His brother was probably grabbing a beer from the fridge and considering getting plastered if it meant he didn't have to wonder where the kid was now.

"We both are, Sam. You got any idea where Alec coulda gone?" Bobby scratched his beard.

Sam shook his head. "We only really caught him the last time cause he slipped up, my guess is he's gonna cover his tracks much more carefully this time."

"What'll we do in the meantime? Distracting Dean with hunting ain't really an option," Bobby pointed out. "It just gets him reckless. I'm not even sure he's okay to help this girl anymore."

"I know, but we're still on the case. Maybe keeping his focus on protecting Anna will take the edge off or something," He suggested.

"Well, we can hope. In the meantime, I'd better call Pamela. She might be able to figure out what Anna is picking up on." Bobby headed upstairs and Sam glanced through the doorway where Anna was asleep on the bed of the panic room.

He felt irrationally guilty for splitting his attention so much when this young woman needed protecting. They still didn't really understand why the angels were trying to kill her. Shouldn't they have been protecting her?

"Got your text. Let me guess, you need me for something else? Or did you just miss me?" Ruby asked from behind him. He spun around to see her standing with her arms folded across her chest.

Sam felt a surge of relief seeing her still there. Usually, Ruby liked to bail as soon as things were under control unless she needed information. "Ruby, I'm glad you're here. There's this chimera… doppelganger… kid. His name's Alec and we had him here for a while to make sure he wasn't dangerous but now he's run off and Dean's taking it hard. D'you think you could find him?"

"He's a _Chimera?_ Those things are extinct. Like _Atlantis_ is more recent than those boys. Wait. This isn't that freaky kid who _hissed_ at me, is it?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that one. I know. It's complicated. But could you look?" Sam begged.

"Even if I _find_ him, he's obviously not fond of me going by our introduction or lack thereof. How am I supposed to get him back here?"

"_Please?_ I know you'll think of something."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Not for _Dean_," She replied and vanished.

Sam wasn't sure if that was a yes or no but he hoped anyway. He didn't know what had gone wrong, maybe they shouldn't have left him for so long, but they needed Alec back. If they didn't find him, something was going to go wrong. They had too many things they were worried about and it was costing them in focusing ability.

He walked through the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a beer.

They were out.

The fridge _smacked _closed.

They needed Alec back _soon_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10!**

* * *

Anna had her grace back. Castiel and Uriel had backed off, albeit a little reluctantly, and Alistair and his cronies seemed mostly obliterated but Dean couldn't find it in himself to celebrate in the slightest.

Anna was miserable again. She'd told him she would be and now she was back to being the marble statue that she despised. That was already a damper on his mood without tacking on the kid going missing. Just another person he'd failed.

It had been over two weeks now. Sam was actually _suggesting_ hunts to go on but Dean didn't think it would help. There were a couple of simple ghosts hunts that looked easy enough nearby, so he'd packed his duffel bag, but Dean's head wasn't in the game and that didn't bode well.

He never shoulda left the kid. He was too new to everything and had just barely started to trust them. He'd noticed all the flinching, the moments when he'd drop his voice to a whisper to ask a question, and the dozen other signs that he'd been abused. Badly. But Dean hadn't wanted to push until the kid was ready to open up about any of it which wouldn't happen until he realized that what he'd gone through wasn't normal.

Now, of course, Dean worried if he ever would. The streets weren't kind and were full of monsters both human and non.

Thunder boomed outside to add to his dour mood. It had been pouring nearly all day and Dean found himself hoping the kid was somewhere warm and dry rather than being stuck in an alleyway in this downpour.

"Dean, come and eat something," Sam suggested again. "Bobby's got dinner already out."

"Not hungry," Dean muttered in reply. Another crack of lightning illuminated the room and the junkyard dogs outside started barking in reply.

"Too bad," Bobby snapped from the doorway. "Get in here and eat somethin'."

The doorbell made Dean freeze on the verge of a no doubt acerbic reply. The three hunters looked at each other and cautiously made their way to the door, arming themselves in case of an attack.

Dean slowly opened the door to the sounds of the storm and the others poised to shoot. "...Alec?"

Alec's usually fluffy light brown hair was dark and matted down from the rain, his oversized grey hoodie was darker from waterlogging, and a beat-up backpack was slung over his shoulders. Rain dripped down from nearly limp strands of hair and onto the slobbering bulldog that had plopped its head on Alec's ratty, muddy sneakers. The teen stood silently and held out a padded square of leather. "Mr. Singer, this belongs to you," He said quietly.

Bobby slowly took the wallet, apparently sharing Dean's fear that the action would cause the kid to scramble away back into the storm. Fortunately, Alec stayed where he was.

"I-... All the money's there," Alec assured him, awkwardly stuffing the now empty hand into the pocket of his sopping sweatshirt. Thunder rumbled overhead. "I'm sorry I stole from you."

His eyes were fixated on the ground and his feet shifted uncomfortably as the hunters tried to figure out what to say at the unexpected return.

"You ran away," Dean said finally, finding it easiest to state the obvious.

Alec nodded. Rumsfield huffed at the kid's feet and nosed his leg with a nearly accusatory whine but Alec ignored him. "I know. And I know that I have no right to ask, and you can say no - I get it, really - and I know you don't trust me, I wouldn't trust me - but I was wondering if maybe I - you know if it's not too much trouble - if I could maybe…just..." He trailed off with a slight shiver of defeat.

Dean hadn't seen many times when the kid had trouble with words and a quick glance at Bobby and Sam told him that they hadn't either. Dean took a deep breath. "Are you done?" He asked.

Alec nodded and sniffled slightly as he smeared his drooping sleeve across his face. He made a move to turn and walk away but Dean caught hold of his arm and stopped him.

"Right, come on inside. Bobby's got dinner ready." Alec's jaw dropped at the words. Dean just smiled warmly and waved Sam and Bobby to go inside. "Go set another space, would ya, Sammy?"

His brother grinned and nodded. "You got it."

Dean tugged lightly on the kid's arm but Alec was still paralyzed in confusion. "But… But I stole from Bobby, I stole clothes too, I ran away-"

"-And you came back." Dean tapped underneath Alec's chin with his other hand to make him meet his eyes. Green eyes darted to the bruised scrape on the boy's jaw and Dean felt the smile drop. "And with a battle scar. Are you okay? What happened to you? Are you hurt?" His eyes darted to Alec's hands, noticing the pinkish breaks across the knuckles.

"You're crazy, aren't you?" Alec ignored the questions with one of his own. "I _stole_ from you guys. I bolted without a word and you're… you're just…" He shook his head in amazement.

Dean rolled his eyes as though heavily taxed before pulling Alec into a sudden hug. "And you are too. Welcome to the family, kiddo."

Family. That word had a _lot_ of value to Dean and was only given to a precious few in his life… and yet it fit Alec. He didn't know why, but the teen _was_ family. It was going to be tough to take that away from him now.

"F-... _Family?_"

Dean squeezed him tighter. He couldn't look the kid in the eyes when he stuttered like that. Couldn't face that awestruck wonder that spoke of a life made longer and colder without love or caring in it. Dean swallowed the lump in his throat instead. The kid's standard for awe was far too low to be acceptable. "Yep."

"You're totally insane," Alec deadpanned but finally hugged Dean back.

* * *

Alec didn't know if this was a good idea.

He knew all the weaponry, yes. He had more than enough training. He was even entertaining the idea of the supernatural being as real and fantastically hidden from the rest of civilization as the Winchesters and Bobby said it was. Castiel was legitimate and Ruby was definitely _something_ unpleasant.

But _salt_? Seriously? Going up against the ghost of a man who was apparently murdering people and the weapon of choice was _**SALT**_?

He tried his very hardest to not think that this was some sort of elaborate prank that could get him killed. The brothers he'd started living with were unusual and definitely liked to mess with each other. What if they wanted to mess with _him_?

He wasn't ready for that yet. He wasn't like them. He knew cause they gave him weird looks sometimes. Looks that questioned why he didn't know this information or why he was reacting to something so strangely. Alec had been out for half a year, but being with the Winchesters had made him realize how much of his training was still affecting him.

He was not required to make his bed with the utmost precision… but he still did it anyway because it was something that, if left alone, would start to drive him insane. He didn't have to ask to take books off of shelves or food from the fridge - unless it was labeled - or to turn on the tv. He didn't even have to _report_ to anyone in the morning. He didn't even have to get out of bed until _noon_ if he didn't want to. Dean even said he wasn't _allowed_ to get up until at least 6 am after he'd reported in at 0430 on the first morning.

It had thrown him off and that scared him. Those first few weeks were a hodgepodge of comfort and terror because there was no way it was gonna last. He didn't know the rules. He'd mess up and everyone would see what an awful mistake it had been to keep him around and what a freak he was. What kind of person didn't know how to set up a movie? Manticore had messed him up more than he'd realized.

So instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, he'd left.

It was a stupid idea, probably the worst he's ever had. He'd berated himself constantly when he was back on the streets for giving up something so perfect, but that was only further proof that it wasn't for him. He didn't deserve perfect, he hadn't deserved the kindness the Winchesters and Bobby had shown him and then he'd had the gall to just leave it behind. He'd made it to Iowa and slowly started southwest to Nebraska before reading a welcome sign for Sioux City and Sioux Falls 86 miles further up the highway and having a small breakdown of grief. Once he'd calmed down, he made a plan to go back and beg forgiveness.

Instead, they'd been waiting for him with open arms. Alec didn't understand it, he _couldn't_ after what he'd done, but he forced himself to push past that and just trust and be grateful. He didn't want to let the confusion and panic push him away from them again.

The 'Family' that he'd been adopted into.

He was getting there but 'Family' was supposed to be _comfortable_, right? It wasn't that he felt _uncomfortable_ per se, just… awkward and unfamiliar. The tv had movies and shows with families and those families were always fine with talking to each other and being around each other and doing 'Family' things like eating together. Alec didn't know how it was supposed to work.

No one in those families felt out of place when they sat down at the table and scooped their own food onto their plate while others around them did the same, scooping as much and as many times as they wanted. Alec was _not_ used to that.

No one in those families seemed to feel like they were doing something wrong but no one would tell them what. Or be so scared that it was all going to go wrong very soon. That it was all a joke played on them. He needed to know the rules.

No one in those families kept so many secrets either. Alec couldn't let go of his secrets, but he'd tried to push against the panic.

It was late and stormy the night Dean asked about Manticore.

Alec hadn't meant to wake anybody up that night and still felt awful that he had. He hadn't meant to let his dream get so real, to let the memories take over again. All he knew was that when he'd become aware of the room around him again, the lights were on, his chest felt tight, his throat hurt, his eyes were dry and achy from staring too long at the fading shapes of tormentors, and Dean was there and staring at him with wide, cautious eyes.

"_Alec, are you alright? You with me?_" Dean had asked quietly.

Alec nodded, unable to trust his voice just yet. He couldn't even **breathe** right yet. Dean moved toward him slowly, spreading his hands to appear harmless like Alec was afraid of him. He wasn't afraid. He was just... _anxious_. Anxious and didn't know if he wanted anyone to be around him. Ever again.

His breathing got a little harsher. A part of him recognized that Dean had stopped and was sitting on the edge of the bed, giving Alec his space.

"_Work your way to some deep breaths. You just take your time, okay?_" But it didn't sound okay.

Dean had sounded angry. Alec didn't like it when anyone got angry, that's when the pain started. He couldn't answer, couldn't explain to Dean that he was defective and weak and they should've turned him away after he'd come crawling back to them.

"_Alec, can you talk to me? That place that you came from, the people there, they did things to you, didn't they?_" He asked, but it felt more like a statement. Dean knew Alec came from a bad place.

Alec couldn't answer. He just couldn't. If he started to, he couldn't stay strong the whole time and then they'd know he was broken, that they shouldn't want him. They'd say he was too weak to be a hunter and he'd be sent somewhere 'safer' where he was certain that he'd be back to 'freak' status. He didn't want to leave the Winchesters. He didn't want to lose that nice feeling he'd gotten when Dean had said that word 'Family'. It was a kinda scary feeling but he didn't want it to go away. It was that warmth he craved, he just didn't know what to do with it.

"_...Alec, you're shaking. Do you need milk? Or is it…?_" Dean waited for an answer that they both knew wasn't going to come.

Alec had bitten down hard on his lip. He hadn't realized he was shaking and Dean hadn't realized he was defective. Wrong. Bad.

Dean moved a little closer and Alec tried to remember that Dean had never hurt him. Never ever. Maybe it was okay? The air felt a little softer in his chest.

And then… Dean was hugging him again. It startled him into remembering that the Winchesters were different. He'd been weak before and Dean said he _wasn't_ bad. He leaned just a little bit into the hug. Dean was warm and the air was soft and maybe... maybe he could pretend for a little while.

"_You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I'm here. You're safe. It'll be okay_."

Alec shook away those memories and the doubt as he loaded the salt rounds into the shotgun. Dean and Sam wouldn't mess with him, they wouldn't try to scare him or put him in danger. It wasn't a punishment either. He **knew** it. He knew it from those weird 'hug' things.

Alec never felt in danger when being hugged. He'd learned it was apparently the Winchester way of saying that they wanted you to feel safe and be safe. They never said it outright like the people on t.v. and he felt a bit better at the thought. The Winchesters were very different than the people on t.v.

"You okay, Alec?"

Alec looked over at Sam, who had that slightly puzzled look on his face again, and gave him a smile as they closed the trunk and walked over the cemetery. Dean was already waiting for them and was waving to them from the tombstone that they needed to get to.

A half hour later, he saw a ghost - an honest to Lydecker, _ghost_ \- and he didn't think about it. He raised the sawed-off shotgun and fired a blast of that possibly useless _salt_ at the thing… and it _worked_. The phantom dissolved into a wisp of smoke like a snuffed candlelight.

"Nice shot kid. Now keep it up and we'll have ourselves a bonfire in a minute." Dean grinned at him from the open grave. He paused to wipe some sweat off his forehead with his hand still on the shovel's handle before going back to work.

Alec felt his confidence soar just a little bit and he returned to the task of protecting his, just maybe, family.


	11. Chapter 11

Alec opened up briefly about life before the Winchesters. He didn't say much, but he gave up the name of Manticore after making Dean and Sam swear up and down that they wouldn't so much as look it up in the dictionary for fear that they'd be tracked. He explained the purpose of creating super soldiers which is why he knew what he knew. They asked about his barcode and designation but when he'd accidentally mentioned the experiments Sam and Dean fixated and he'd closed himself off again.

It was going to be a long and grueling road, but Sam could see that Dean had been right. In time, Alec would tell them what they needed to know. Even if that meant their imagination would torture them with possibilities in the meantime of what 'experiments' could imply. Alec was hurt and it hurt them to not know what he'd been through. It hurt to not be able to line up every member of Manticore and tear them apart for hurting not just Alec, but dozens of children. They'd labeled them like items to be bought and sold with freaking barcodes etched into their DNA.

It was sick what they'd done to Alec and the kids like him and they didn't even know what they'd done other than that it had hurt and scared Alec so badly he still couldn't say. But he defended it automatically and out of pure instinct. He'd needed to be punished because he hadn't been fast enough, strong enough, good enough. He'd needed to be an efficient killing machine.

So they started small: pushing the lack of logic in defending Manticore, the decisions behind punishments, and promoting self-worth and identity. Alec would usually shut down when he started to acknowledge the abuse Manticore had put him through as _abuse_, but the barriers Manticore had put up against questioning orders were starting to crack a little more.

They were starting to make a dent in the brainwashing, they just needed more time.

It didn't take long, however, before the Winchesters saw just how efficient Alec could be with hunting; sometimes he was _too_ efficient. The moon would be full by the end of the week and having Alec go with them to question witnesses and look into leads had become normal enough to explain and adjust to. When they approached a co-worker of the last victim, however, Sam hadn't noticed the change in Alec's behavior until it was nearly too late.

The gruff looking man with his bleach blond hair in a 'man bun' of all things had opened the door and flicked his eyes over the arrivals with his eyes landing on the youngest of the trio. A deep, menacing growl emanated from him. Sam and Dean both turned their focus to Alec to find out what warranted the reaction and saw Alec glaring the man down with equal ferocity.

Sam could see the hair on the back of Alec's neck standing on edge and his stance was braced to move in an instant.

"I don't like cats." The stranger growled.

Alec gave a terse smile. "And I'm not one for dogs."

There was a sudden blur and the werewolf and chimera were suddenly going for each other's throats on the grimy sidewalk. Sam and Dean had both pulled out their silver-loaded pistols but hesitated to pull the trigger for fear of hitting Alec.

The transgenic had wrangled himself behind his opponent and nearly had him in a headlock before he was slammed roughly into the wall of the house, cracking the stucco finish and causing him to loosen his grip. The other man took the opportunity to spin suddenly, crashing Alec into the house again before skittering off when Alec released him.

Dean fired two shots after him but only caught the guy on the shoulder as Sam crouched to help Alec back to his feet.

"You okay?" He asked.

Alec nodded but then cringed deeply when he tried to stand on his own, quickly bracing a hand against his hip. "I will be. We need to go after that guy."

"He's long gone, for now, kiddo. We'll find him later though." Dean reassured him. "Let's make sure you're okay-"

"-I'm _fine_. We need to go after him _now_." Alec shoved himself away from Sam and started running.

Sam winced in sympathy and expected Alec to stop but he actually seemed to speed up leaving the Winchesters with few options left other than following after.

It was tough to keep up with them, but the brothers were excellent trackers after years of hunting. Sam just hoped that with the sun down, no civilians got a good enough look at the pair of suped-up speed racers barreling in the direction of a wooded area.

They had their guns set by the time the hunters reached their quarry in the trees, but they were not ready.

Not at all.

Not for Alec covered in blood. Sam moved forward instinctively, looking for scratches or worse before Dean's hand on his arm told him that he'd missed something. He felt a little slow for realizing only afterward that the blood splattered on Alec's face and clothes was not his own.

The werewolf, whose name was either Stan or Steve - Sam hadn't bothered to remember - was still as he lay on the grass. His throat and chest were a mess of gore and dark blood bubbled down into the grass. Only the sporadic twitching of his fingers acted as an indication that there was possible life left. Dean fired a single bullet and the twitching stopped.

Alec hadn't moved. He sat frozen half on top of the corpse with bloodied hands hanging at his sides. Sam and Dean exchanged a quick, panicked glance of whether or not their job was done or not.

"Alec? Alec, you alright?" Dean asked slowly.

Sam watched the transgenic carefully. "Alec, let's move away from him, okay?"

The teen slowly nodded and crawled over a few feet from the rapidly cooling body. He didn't look at either of the brothers and instead was ramrod straight where he sat with his legs folded, his hands rested in front of him. He was staring at his hands in a sort of detached fascination. They were twitching too. Sam gulped.

"Alec, are you calmed down now?" He asked and received a nod in return.

He glanced over to Dean motioned for him to step in and talk the kid down. His older brother always had a better relationship with the kid. Dean always knew what to say and how to help. Dean rarely took off the jovial mask he always wore, but when he did, people could easily read the sincerity which Dean often disliked and dubbed 'chick-flick moments'.

Which is why he was totally off guard when his brother grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him alongside as he dropped to sit next to Alec. The cold dampness from the grass was seeping easily through Sam's jeans but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Alec, are you alright?" Dean asked again.

Alec bit his lip slightly. Sam took cues from Dean and they both waited in silence. "_I'm sorry_," Alec muttered after a moment. "_I-I didn't mean to._"

"What do you mean? Were you angry?" Dean asked. He still hadn't let go of Sam's sleeve and his grip tightened.

Alec shrugged a shoulder and ducked his head. "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?"

"I-I…" Green eyes darted frantically, suddenly examining everything _except_ them as his voice got very small very fast. "I can't explain it. I don't know how to explain it."

"Explain what? Why did you do this, Alec? This isn't how we hunt." Dean's voice was growing out of its softness into something more stern.

"I-I don't know. I don't know. I don't-..." Alec was watching his hands again: hands that were shaking slightly as a few drops of blood dripped off the fingers. "I… _I know it was wrong. I just… it felt…_"

Dean looked sharply over to Sam. His eyes questioning but Sam could've sworn there was something accusatory like Dean knew. Maybe he did. What if Dean knew about Ruby? About the demon blood? About all of it? Sam felt a strange relatability to Alec.

The demon blood in and of itself was wrong, but it was a means to an end. He _saved_ people with it. He saved lives and he felt _stronger_, more _powerful_. He'd finally gotten rid of the sinking, nauseating helplessness that had plagued him when they'd failed to save Dean from his deal.

"But it felt right, made you feel strong and alive," Sam finished carefully.

Alec's eyes were wide as they reached his own. "_Does that make me a monster?_" He asked so quietly that Sam almost missed it and he felt an echoing question from himself. The cool air pushed against them, blowing away some of the blood scent.

Sam shook his head. "No. It just means that you're going to need to work a little harder to pull back. That's okay." He glanced over at Dean who seemed to now be relying on Sam's words as much as Alec. "No one innocent got hurt and now we know to watch out for this sort of thing. That's good. It'll get easier the more you practice and work on keeping your cool, okay?"

Alec nodded tersely and looked down at his hands again and then to the body and back again. The shivering crept over his whole body. "_Sam_?" His voice was hoarse and Sam braced himself for either a repeat or a breakdown; he wasn't sure which with the kid shaking so badly.

"_I think I'm gonna puke,_" Alec admitted quietly and then promptly lost his dinner to the grass and muddy ground.


	12. Chapter 12

The smell. He couldn't get the smell away. It wouldn't go away and it was making him sick. It was like he could _taste_ it and the coppery tang in his mouth was well on its way to summoning more bile from below.

They shuffled soundlessly into the motel room, Alec coming out last after Sam made a sweep of the area since teenagers covered in blood tended to draw a crowd. Fortunately, a light drizzle had started up and it was late, so most people were already inside for the night. Sam had ushered Alec toward the bathroom once they were inside and closed the door. The shadow underneath promised clean clothes waiting for him when he got out of the shower.

The water pressure was a pitiful thing. Alec had to scrub as best as he could while working with the single stream of water that came free with any missing shower head. It honestly scared him a bit to see how much blood had seeped through his clothes when he'd gotten undressed. Maybe that was why the smell wouldn't go away, the blood had seeped into his skin or something.

He already knew it had stained his hands.

He lathered more soap and scrubbed between his fingers and along the lines of his palms. Rinsing off the pinkish froth, he studied them again and added another layer of soap.

And again.

And again.

A loud knock on the door made him wake up from his motions.

"Alec? Are you okay in there?" He recognized Dean's voice.

"Yeah," He squeaked. _Absolutely not_. His eyes followed the swirls in the cloud of steam that had filled the room before he squeezed them tightly and tried to block out the...everything. The sounds, the rush, the emotions, and smell, and fighting that was churning his gut again as he thought back on it.

"Come on out soon, okay? We're gonna talk."

_They don't want you. They're going to tell you to go away. They changed their minds. They can't trust you anymore. __**Monster.**_

Shaky hands turned off the faucet and he toweled off. Cracking the door slightly earned him a fresh pile of clothes. He got dressed slowly and spent thirty seconds just staring at the door when he was finished.

"Alec?" It was Sam this time.

_You might as well get it over with_. He turned the knob and stepped out, fanning the lingering mist into the room from behind him.

Sam patted his shoulder in a passive way of guiding him over to the violently patterned bed opposite of where Dean was sitting and waiting for both of them. Motel rooms were always so different and yet always the same.

The creak of the mattresses shifting were the only sounds for a solid minute.

"How are you feeling?" Dean finally asked.

Alec shrugged. "'M okay."

Dean nodded but Alec didn't think either brother believed him.

_Defective._

_Freak._

_Monster._

"How's your hip?" Sam asked. "You hit that wall pretty hard."

Alec blinked, slowly processing before becoming aware of the dull throb emanating from his side. He turned and pulled away the shirt and the edge of his jeans to reveal a blotchy blue-ish purple bruise before letting go with a shrug. "Not too bad. I heal fast."

Dean closed his eyes but nodded. "Alright. Listen, Alec,-"

Alec winced at the suddenly serious tone. He'd liked the game of pretend they'd had going a minute ago, pretending nothing was wrong with him, just a bruise. A strong hand settled on his knee.

"Hey, relax. It's okay. You're okay."

A flying thought tangent wondered if the DNA he shared with Dean would give him that same calming ability when he was older. He looked up at the oldest Winchester.

"There we go. Hey, we're just gonna talk," Dean reassured him. "We need to figure out the best way to deal with this."

"_How_?" The teen nearly begged to know. "I don't even know _why_ I just..." He shook his head and stared at the floor. "What if you were wrong. What if I _am_ a monst-"

"_**No**_. No, you're not," Dean cut him off instantly.

"You didn't hurt anybody who didn't attack you first," Sam reminded him, but Alec saw a hint of fear mixed in with the hazel.

Alec stapled his fingers and saw more than felt his knuckles whitening. He didn't know if he was really feeling anything anymore. There was just a shaking numbness. "It wasn't supposed to be like that, though. I wasn't supposed to lose control. I went overboard."

"And you want to change that, yeah?" Sam asked and Alec nodded.

"Well then, let's figure out a way to keep that feral side under control. What do you think could help?" Dean asked.

Alec shrugged. All he could do was keep shrugging. Shrugging and shivering. He didn't know what was going on and it was only a matter of time before the Winchesters realized he didn't have any answers and wasn't worth trying to fix. Manticore hadn't really cared whether or not their soldiers were brutal in their work as long as it didn't affect efficiency or leave any kind of trail behind. "I'm not sure."

Dean and Sam shared a look and let out twin breaths of acceptance.

"When you… _spaced_… how were you feeling right beforehand?" Sam asked.

The transgenic pondered it for a while. "Angry. Reckless. But…"

"But…?" Dean prodded. Alec bit his lip slightly. "C'mon kiddo, you can trust us. You're not in trouble, remember?"

_Yet_ his mind replied unhelpfully.

"It felt… _right_… Natural. I don't know. Everything was just instinctive all of a sudden." He squirmed in his seat on the bed, uncomfortable with the lingering traces of that feeling, that _rush_. His pulse still thundering in his arteries, the thrill of defeating the weaker enemy...

"You think it might be a DNA thing? You've got feline DNA and a bunch of other things too, right?" Sam suggested.

"Sounds plausible," Alec conceded. They'd been bred to make the most of their spliced DNA and any ruthless hunting instincts wouldn't be something Manticore would frown upon when they wanted a new line of soldiers and assassins. "They never trained me to be like that."

"Okay, so now we get to battle nature with nurture. Should be fun," Dean summed up.

"You really think we can?" Alec asked, unsure of how much stock he should put into the idea.

"It's worth a shot," Sam replied.

* * *

Sam knew they thought it was a lousy idea, but Sam argued his point well. It was worth trying and Alec didn't sleep as much as ordinary humans anyways so he had free time in the mornings to try it.

He'd done his research and it seemed like a good method with a solid shot of at least helping Alec focus and avoid losing control again. He'd have better emotional and mental balance overall too.

The trouble was, once Dean complained at the 'lameness' of the idea, Alec wanted nothing to do with meditation.

Honestly, Sam wanted to deck his brother sometimes.

"At least give it a shot for two weeks. If nothing happens, you can drop it okay?"

Alec stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head again. "Why can't I do something _else_? I'll just be _sitting_ there. In case you hadn't noticed, that's not something I really _do_."

To say he'd noticed would be an understatement. Sam and Dean had taken note within the first day of meeting Alec that the kid had more energy to burn off than most. His focus was razor-sharp when he cared about something, but if he lost interest he was bound to start fiddling with this and that to keep himself perpetually busy.

The younger Winchester had offhandedly wondered if Adderall would have any effect on the kid.

"Alec's right," Dean jumped in. "What else have you come up with?"

Sam's molars strained against each other. "Dean, you and Alec need to let go and give it a shot, okay? Everything else I've found requires a place we'd need to stay consistently. This is our best option so _let go of your stupid prejudice and __**try it**_."

Dean and Alec stared at him in shocked silence. Eventually, the older brother turned to Alec with a slightly resigned but meaningful expression. "Your call, kid."

"Would you do it with me?" Alec asked.

Sam resisted the urge to grin. Dean couldn't dismiss Alec like he would Sam, he was wrapped too tightly around the kid's finger and neither of them seemed to notice.

Dean's jaw twitched.

"It's only fair," Alec needled.

Dean reluctantly nodded.

Alec glanced between the pair of brothers and rounded on Sam. "Alright, Guru Winchester, what do we have to do."

* * *

Alec loved the impala.

It was cozy; the leather seats had just the right about of softness to make naps comfortable and it smelled familiar even though he'd only been with the Winchesters about two months. Dean's music was strange to him, sometimes the screech of an electric guitar would make him wince but Dean turned the volume down on those songs now. He loved the music though. There was never music at Manticore apart from knowing it existed since there was never any relevance. After all, who is going to need to know ACDC to assassinate an arms dealer?

There was singing in the car too. It usually started off soft, like humming, but then the volume would be cranked and once Alec knew the words, all three of them would be belting along. Sometimes they'd change the words to make fun of each other and end up laughing while the music played on.

Once when Dean went inside a gas station to get some snacks, Sam mentioned his brother used to have nearly perfect pitch but then he'd gotten a weird concussion and now he missed a lot of the notes and had trouble with new songs. It never stopped him from enjoying it, though, and Sam would sing along. When it was dark and Sam was asleep and Alec was curled in the back, Dean would sing along to softer music and somehow never missed a note. Alec wondered if Sam knew, but he didn't think Dean wanted him to.

There was only one thing Alec hated about the impala and that was he got bored. If the music was off and there was nothing but fields for miles, the transgenic felt like he was going to lose his mind. He would read some of the books that Bobby lent him, and Sam had gotten him a few books to keep from a thrift store, but he couldn't keep re-reading the same books for eight hours. He supposed, it really had nothing to do with the impala, but after a while the space would start to get to him and he wanted to jump out and run the next mile just to move and feel the earth beneath his feet.

When they drove through cities, Alec loved looking at the skyscrapers and the old fancy buildings although the security cameras in those buildings made him nervous. Manticore was still after him and probably always would be, but they wouldn't be looking for him in an old car with a pair of wandering brothers so he tried to relax. And stay in the camera's blind spots when possible.

The impala was beautiful, though. Dean called her his 'Baby' and he took care of her just like he took care of Sam and Alec. Did that mean the car was part of the family? The way it rumbled and growled, Baby seemed alive unlike any other car Alec had ever seen or heard. He puzzled over it as he stared at his reflection in the glossy black surface. His hair had gotten a bit longer, almost two inches, and the breeze was pushing it around with fun little twists. He'd probably have to ask Dean for another haircut soon.

Sam was grabbing snacks this time and Dean and Alec were stretching before the next leg of the journey.

"Alright, I've got milk, soda, and a case of beer to drink and chips and candy bars for all," Sam announced, carrying plastic bags full of their gas station bounty. The wind was blowing hard but it felt more refreshing than cold and Alec would miss it when they headed out.

Alec took one and helped load them onto the floor of the back seat and the drinks in the cooler. Snack dispensing was another distraction that he was grateful for.

A minute later they were buckled in and Dean turned the key. Alec sat with a bottle of Sprite in his hand and a bag of Doritos in his lap as Baby purred. He closed his eyes for a moment, just listening, and smiled as they sped off to the West.

* * *

Another week out and they were in a new town, checking for injuries and thinking up a cover story for the civilians to tell the police.

Dean glanced over at a somber-looking Alec. The hunt had gone a bit sour for everyone but Alec seemed the most shaken by the turn of events. It didn't take much thinking on Dean's part to figure out _why_.

It wasn't necessarily that it had ended quickly, that was a bonus in Dean's book. The family was going to be scarred but now safe and at least they weren't calling the cops yet. It wasn't that Alec had gotten caught unawares when protecting the son and been knocked out and taken - although that was definitely one of the scariest moments to Dean - or even that it had smelled _horrible_ in the hidden basement where he and Danny were trapped which is all Alec would complain about. It wasn't any of those reasons at all, the answer was simple and dark.

They hadn't been supernatural creatures. They'd been human, worse still, _kids_. Kids locked up in the dark for so long and cut off from all positive human contact until they were feral and murderous and Dean had a strong gut-feeling that Alec felt a little too comparable to them.

"Alec, you're not them. You'll never be them," Dean broke the silence carefully.

"I know," Alec nodded and Dean dropped a hand on his shoulder.

Dean waited for a bit before giving Alec's shoulder a light squeeze. "You wanna tell me what's up then? I'm not a mind-reader."

"They were like me, like all the other kids back at Manticore."

Dean shook his head. "_No_, they weren't. You're not-"

"-I know I'm not them," Alec interrupted. "But I could've been. In those walls… Manticore felt like that. It felt like you were trapped all the time. There was no way out or at least they would get you _convinced_ that there wasn't a way out."

Dean inwardly flinched at the name of Alec's prison. The teenager hadn't said much about the place, but the few mentions of it were very clearly negative. "Sounds like it's a good thing you busted out of there."

"Dean… there are others still there. Dozens, maybe hundreds, and I want to help them but…" He trailed off and huffed out a deep breath.

The hunter turned to face him squarely. "You want us to take down Manticore?" It was a tough order, but he was willing to try. They'd start planning right away as soon as the kid gave the word.

Alec thought about it but shook his head. "I don't know if it would do any good. Those kids… they were so _twisted_ by what happened to them. The ones at Manticore aren't going to end up quite like that, but they don't want to leave anymore, Dean. Not enough of them want to get away. I still want to give them that chance but it's like-... like it's not _time_ yet. I can't explain it." He ran a hand briefly through his hair. "Does that make sense?"

"Not really," Dean admitted but let his shoulders drop. "But I'm not you and you haven't told me much about Manticore other than it's the '_Crappiest_ Place On Earth'."

The transgenic huffed a little in agreement and said nothing more. Dean read between the lines and let the subject of Manticore go. If the kid didn't want to talk about it, he was the last one who was going to press him on the issue. There were things he'd only just started to talk about himself. Maybe he'd even tell the kid someday, but for now, he'd only told Sam and that was okay.

"Well, you did good tonight, regardless." Dean commended.

The teen slouched a bit against the car. "I-... Dean, I had a chance to take them out, or at least the boy."

"You did?"

A guilty nod. "I couldn't do it. I froze up. I could've gotten you or Sam or the family killed. I didn't want to. I-"

"-Alec. You're fine. That's _good_ even. You didn't lose your cool this time. And if you feel uncomfortable about taking the shot, you can always pass it over to me or Sam. Even more than that, if you ever want out of this life, you just ask. We'll figure something out if you want a normal life, we'll try our hardest to get it for you."

"Dean, that's not an option for me even _if_ I wanted it," Alec pointed out.

"It could be. Sam did it once."

Alec turned to study Sam, who was talking with the father of the family. "Really?"

"He got a full ride to Stanford. Left the life, met a girl, was closing in on a white picket fence."

"What happened?" Alec regretted the question as soon as he saw Dean's face.

"A demon. Jess got killed. Sam doesn't like to talk about it."

Alec nodded, leaning a bit more against Dean and the car behind them. Dean pulled him to his side and mussed up his hair. "Either way. I don't think I want the normal life. You don't have to worry about that."

Dean seemed to accept this and then looked up as Sam made his way back to the car. "You ready to go?"

"Let's head out. They said they'll call the police once our tail lights are out of sight," Sam stated and climbed into the passenger seat.

Dean raised an eyebrow at Alec who rolled his eyes and clambered into the back.


	13. Chapter 13

Alec blinked owlishly at the space around him. He'd woken up with his heart racing but it slowly dialed down once he recognized the motel room. He couldn't help but feel slightly confused at being the only one awake and sat up on the pull-out couch. Usually, he'd open his eyes to find Dean trying to get him to breathe again or Sam trying to make him look around and recognize the safety of the room… not silence.

Well, it wasn't _total_ silence.

Dean's sleep was about as peaceful as Alec's had been. Every few seconds he'd twitch or kick, mumbling slurred words that not even the transgenic could make out.

Alec approached slowly and carefully. "Dean?" He glanced over to the other bed and frowned when he found it empty. Sam must've needed some air or something which sucked because Alec didn't know what to do. He'd never done the whole 'comfort' thing before. "Dean?" He tried again, edging closer and closer.

He knew enough from himself to know it was dangerous to do what he was about to, but he also trusted his reflexes and Dean had done the same for him. He had to _try_.

He reached out and touched Dean's shoulder.

Eyes shot open. A fist blurred to his face and Alec angled away just in time. He grabbed the offending limb and pulled it close to his chest to immobilize it. "_Dean! _Dean, wake up!" He had to twist as Dean fought him and planted his knee in the older man's chest to try to keep him steady with minimal risk.

"_Lemme go!_" Dean shouted, making Alec cringe from the loudness in his close proximity.

"WAKE UP!" Alec ordered again.

Dean shook and fought more, his eyes still refusing to see the room he was in. He sat up to try to dislodge the transgenic.

_C'mon c'mon c'mon…_ Alec tried to figure out the best way to restrain him without causing any harm or accidentally dislocating something. He was so focused on the task, he didn't hear the fluttering sound behind him.

A foreign hand reached out with two fingers to touch Dean's forehead and he instantly went limp. The transgenic caught the sudden dead weight and eased him back to the mattress.

Alec's senses had already named the new arrival. He felt something almost _crackle_ at the back of his throat and the scent of ozone. His feet had already started moving backward before he had fully assessed it while his eyes remained locked on the steely mirrored glare of the angel.

His back thudded against the wall, halting his regression. Castiel took a step forward and Alec slid down to sit on the floor, relinquishing that much, but his eyes remained stubbornly locked with the ocean blue.

A sudden focused surge of rage pumped into him. He wasn't a science experiment anymore. He was tired of the studying, calculating eyes. He was _tired_ of people making him feel afraid and inhuman.

Despite the teen's protests, Sam's meditation suggestion had helped. He took a deep breath and focus his energy.

Alec's hands closed into tight fists. If the angel took another step, Alec was not afraid to fight back this time. He made that thought as clear as he could, knowing the angel would likely try to read his thoughts again.

Something in the cold blue eyes changed. There was a hint of _surprise_? But no sign of alarm was present. A pale flicker of a smirk flitted over the previously stone expression and with a flutter, Castiel had vanished again.

Alec felt the air come significantly more easily into his lungs. He stayed there for a moment more to regain his bearings.

"_Alec_?" A groggy voice asked. "Wha're you doin' on the floor?" Dean slurred as he sat up slowly.

Alec swallowed past the lump in his throat. "You were having a rough one."

"Did I hurt you?" Dean was much more alert now.

The teen shook his head. "No. I tried to wake you up but it wasn't working and then Castiel showed up."

"Cas? Did…" Concern seemed to be second nature to Winchesters. "Did _he_ hurt you?"

"N-no." Alec cursed inwardly.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "But he scared you, didn't he?"

"_No_." Crap. That sounded too defensive. The teen felt his face get a little warmer in shame.

Dean just patted the space next to him on the bed and Alec sat down next to him. "Cas knows you're off-limits. If he still needs me to deal with the whole Apocalypse crap, he knows I won't agree to it if you're being threatened all the time."

The oldest Winchester slung an arm loosely over Alec's shoulders before stiffening up. "_Alec_? You're shaking, man. You need more milk or somethin'?"

"No. I think it's j-just catching up to me n-now." He tried to fight against it. He was trying to comfort _Dean_, but his mind flashed back of its own accord. The cold eyes staring at him, marking his every move. If he'd acted like that back at _Manticore_… If he'd _dared_...

Rooms of ice. Bursts of pain that stole away any air in the lungs. The never-ending red light that filled every cell with _pain_ and _ache_ and _stop it. Stop it. Make it stop. Make it stop!_

"Woah! Woah! Alec, stay with me, man! Breathe!" The voice was watery but Alec had been learning to trust it. The problem wasn't that he didn't _want_ to breathe, but his chest felt so tight there wasn't any space for air. It just got tighter and tighter like he was in a vice.

_Discipline._

_Discipline_.

_Make it stop._

_Mission._

_Make it stop._

_Duty._

_Make it stop._

_Discipline_.

Something hit his back and he gasped. Air. He had air, but it was leaving fast.

"There we go. C'mon buddy. Take another breath for me."

He was underwater. It was dark. He couldn't breathe.

"C'mon try it for me."

The lid on his tank was still down. He had to hold his breath. It had to be any second now. It hurt too much. They'd let him up soon.

"_Breathe_!"

It hit his back again but he refused to react this time. He wasn't going to drown. Not today. Or he could just pass out. Go into blissful unconsciousness. He wouldn't have to worry anymore. No more fear.

"_Alec, c'mon buddy, take a breath. Just one, you can do it. You've __**got**_ _to do it, Alec._"

Dean.

That voice was Dean.

Dean needed him to try to breathe underwater.

Suddenly he was being restrained, but it didn't feel like it at the same exact time. Manticore restraints were cold titanium: unbreakable so you shouldn't waste your time. This was warm… and just loose enough to not feel trapped. It grounded him.

"_C'mon buddy. C'mon. Take a breath. C'mon. Just one._" The voice was close and just as warm.

Breathe underwater.

Breathe.

He sucked in a breath.

"_There you go. Good job. Try another one._"

He tried again. It hurt, but he managed it.

"_Good job. Again?_"

There was just a little more space this time when he gulped in the air. The water was receding in his mind. He took another breath, testing how much he could take. And a little more… and a little more…

Suddenly the bubble he'd been pulled into popped. There was _air_. So much of it. So much good, only slightly stale air.

"There you go, buddy. Good job, just keep that up, okay? Everything's alright."

Awareness was creeping up on Alec. Dean was sitting upright against the headboard of the bed with Alec pulled close to the older man's chest, cradled like a little kid. Sam had reappeared as well and was sitting down across from them, he reached out and grabbed Alec's hand, giving it a small squeeze. Alec figured he ought to be embarrassed but he couldn't find the energy. He was sweating and residual tremors were still wreaking havoc on his now aching muscles. He told himself that it was simply more comfortable to have a sort of shock absorber, and if Dean happened to be warm and Sam reassuring, so much the better.

His breathing slowed more and more as he felt himself relax. The harsh, jagged gasps giving way to smoother, easier breaths.

"_You're okay, kiddo. It's okay_."

Dean was lying again, both him and Sam. Their words were now just cycles of what the other said.

"'_M sorry,_" Alec mumbled.

"Don't apologize." Dean held him a little tighter for a moment. "It's not your job to always be alright, Alec. You're a person and all people are a little bit broken. That's how everyone has something in common. You just take your time coming back to reality and if you need to talk about it, we're here to listen."

"We're just glad you're breathing again, Alec," Sam reassured him. "You... stopped for nearly 2 minutes. We just want you to be okay and if you need to talk through this for that to happen, we're here."

Alec's eyes sought out the alarm clock. _3:27 AM_. How did this happen? He was trying to help _Dean_. He wanted to be useful and now he was keeping them awake far too early in the morning. Why did he have to ruin everything for them?

And now they wanted to _help him_? To _be there for him_? He couldn't do that to Dean and Sam at this hour. He couldn't burden them more. He took a long shuddery breath and felt himself settle further, letting himself take some selfish comfort while he could.

* * *

"Hey, Sam? How do you two earn money?" Alec asked. Dean had gone to pick up food and a bottle of tryptophan for Alec nearby while Sam and Alec set up the motel room for the night.

"Uh… Well, hunting doesn't exactly pay well and we move a bit too much to get normal jobs so…" Sam paused from his salt line at the window. "It's not good, but we scam some credit card companies and Dean's hustles people at pool and poker at the bars. That's most of it."

Alec nodded thoughtfully as he picked at the bright green bedspread of the newest motel room. He'd guessed it was something like that. "So that doesn't get you a lot of money, though, huh?"

"Not really, but we make do," Sam summed up and nudged a clump of salt further onto the window sill.

"Does… Does it ever get tight? I mean, there's a lot of food and supplies involved and motel rooms and gas."

Sam turned to study the transgenic. "If we start to run low we can ask Bobby. And we always have some emergency cash on hand. Why the sudden concern?"

"No reason."

Sam didn't appear to believe him. "Alec, are you worried that we can't take care of you?"

Alec bit his lip. He didn't want to sound like he didn't trust them; he just wasn't sure if _they_ were being smart about this. "Something like that."

"Alec, if Dean and I have to skip dinner to make sure you have something to eat, we will. You're not going hungry again."

Panic exploded in Alec's chest. "But I don't _want_ you to!" He sputtered.

"What?" Sam frowned. "You don't want us to take care of you?"

Alec shook his head and ran a hand through his messy, spiky hair. "I cost you guys too much money with the meds and the clothes and the food. Why are you doing that? You're wasting too much of your money."

"Taking care of you is _not_ wasting money," Sam insisted.

"Yes it is, I don't help with anything. I wake you up with nightmares and you have to teach me stuff that I should already know about and I eat more than you and Dean and I take up too much-"

"-Stop it right there." Sam grabbed Alec's shoulders tightly and gave them a small shake when he wouldn't meet his eyes. "You are not a waste of space, money, time, or energy. Not now, not ever. You are _good_. You make me and Dean happy just by being around. We _like_ teaching you about the good things in the world. You are not our _problem_, you're our _family_."

Alec opened his mouth to protest but nothing came out.

_Not their problem? _Manticore would list how much money they cost the government to make, to train, to care for. Money was a serious thing. How could the Winchesters not see him as a walking resource vacuum?

He found himself pulled into a hug. _Be safe and feel safe_ his brain reminded him of the translation. He heard the rumble as Sam spoke. "I don't know whether or not you believe me, but just try to and it'll get easier."


	14. Chapter 14

Alec enjoyed having a cell phone. Dean and Sam had gotten him one in so he could call them or to call Bobby if he got lost or just to check in. He liked calling Bobby, it was a strange experience to have his own phone, but these last months held a lot of firsts.

The trouble was, Dean wasn't picking up his phone. Alec sat in the hotel room and dialed for the 14th time. Straight to voicemail.

Alec didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Sirens were messed up going by the lore he'd been reading on them. He wasn't so naive to not recognize that the brothers shared a certain weakness for the opposite sex which made their radio silence that much more worrying.

This siren was particularly violent, though. Murder-suicides were cropping up all over the small town. The brothers almost didn't take the case, but the alternative was more bodies piling up. Then the _real_ FBI agent had showed up and now the whole investigation was balancing on a tightrope.

They'd be separated first, that's what the siren would want, divide and conquer the threat since it could easily be aware of the hunters tracking it. Well, it's mission was accomplished. Dean had gone off with the other FBI agent to get him off the scent and Sam had gone after that doctor lady to check why she had the same flowers found at the crime scene… and he'd certainly been gone a long time.

Alec, of course, was stuck in the hotel room and hadn't actually _met_ the agent or the doctor which sucked. Apparently questions would be asked as to why Dean had brought his 'son' with him on a federal investigation and even the lie that Alec was homeschooled or on some sort of 'job shadow' (whatever _that_ was) wouldn't be able to get him into sensitive crime detail work despite how much _better_ he'd be if he got the chance.

He was _designed_ to be good at this. It's literally coded into his DNA! But do Sam and Dean listen? Apparently not, otherwise Alec wouldn't be dialing Bobby right now. He was going to chew out the brothers as soon as they both got home in one piece safe and sound.

"_Yeah_?"

"Bobby, they're not answering their phones." Alec tried to keep the mild panic out of his voice. They were going to be fine. Dean and Sam were alright. They were always alright.

"_Aw, crap. Where are you right now?_"

"'M at the motel still. I don't know who I should go check on, Bobby. They're both-" Alec paused when the door creaked open. "_Dean_."

"Hey, kid."

"_What's going on? Dean's back_?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. Dean's back. I'll call you…" Alec trailed off as the second person walked into the room behind Dean. "Uhh…" The transgenic studied Dean for a moment and backed away little by little. Dean's eyes were different, the usual light in them was gone. Alec held the phone a bit tighter. "Hey, Dean. I, uh, wasn't expecting you to bring company."

He heard a very distinct '_Oh, crap_' from over the line. "_I'll get there. Hold on,_" Bobby reassured him before the line went dead.

Alec grinned the apparently fake agent. "So, you must be 'Nick', huh?. Nice to meet you," He lied.

"Alec, kiddo, we gotta talk," Dean began slowly. His movements were almost robotic.

Alec ignored him. "How much did you get him to tell you about me?" He asked the siren, still keeping a safe distance from Dean.

Nick smiled, it sent goosebumps across Alec's skin. Nick smiled like a shark. "Enough. Just how much of a _burden_ you are to him. How you're cutting into his life like a parasite."

The teen squashed the cold feeling that splashed over him. "Y-You're lying." He didn't stutter. Nothing happened. His mouth just took a second to catch up to his brain at how _ridiculous_ that statement was.

"Am I? Dean, why don't you tell him?"

Dean cocked his head to the side, his expression was blank apart from the menace in his eyes. "He's right, Alec. I'm tired of you dragging me down. Tired of your _neediness_, your _weakness_. You're just too _breakable_, kid. I want my own life back, Alec, my _old_ life. My life when I didn't have to deal with some angsty little twerp with too many issues who's too weak to have my back when I need him. If I _ever_ needed him."

Alec shook his head to block out the words. _Siren. It's the siren, Dean doesn't mean it_. _Shut it out._ Dean and Sam had been teaching him that he didn't need to feel like a burden. Showing that it was okay to fall apart sometimes because they'd be there and Alec could trust them. "Shut up. Dean, this isn't you talking. It's the _siren._ He's a _monster, _Dean, a _**monster**_. You're gonna let him control you?!"

Nick laughed from where he stood, leaning against the wall. "Yes, he is. You see, Dean here is, shall we say, under my influence? But don't worry. He's not going to _kill_ you. You're not the one I'm worried about right now."

Alec felt a growl in the pit of his stomach. "_Well, you should be_."

He launched himself at the siren, grabbing the bronze dagger from off the bed as he blurred. Nick's eyes widened at the alarming speed but dodged out of the way as the dagger was embedded into the red wallpaper. Alec wrenched it out and turned as Nick moved to stand behind Dean.

"Careful. We wouldn't want to hurt Dean now, would we?" The siren taunted, although the chimera's enhanced speed had clearly caught him off-guard.

"Let him go and I'll end you quickly," Alec offered.

Nick held a hand to his chest. "Dean, he just _threatened_ me. What are you going to do about it?"

Dean moved forward to attack and Alec maneuvered to the side, trying to get a clear shot at the monster. Dean picked up on the intent easily and went on the defensive.

"Dean, I don't want to hurt you. Move out of the way," Alec ordered, eyeing for the chance to strike.

"That's a shame, cause Dean here doesn't care about hurting _you_. Or care about you in general. I'm all he'll ever need." Nick gloated, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "He needs a _real_ family. With a _good _brother and no little _freaks_ to worry about. He doesn't need any more weak, pathetic, broken brats in his life who can't even handle a nightmare on their own."

Alec snapped, barreling at Nick like a man possessed, shoving Dean out of the way and burying the dagger to the hilt in the siren's chest.

Alec sat back as Nick gasped and sputtered, blood trickling from his mouth… and then laughed. Nick grabbed the hilt of the dagger and pulled it out with only a mild hiss of any damage done. He wiped the blood from his mouth. "Nice one, kiddo. I'll give you points for that, but you forgot the most important bit."

Alec's eyes widened. _Bronze dagger laced with the blood of one of its victims._ He hadn't gotten any of Dean's blood on it.

A harsh cracking pain on the back of his head brought stars to his vision. Dizziness was only a second behind as Alec braced the back of his now-throbbing skull with one hand while the other held him off the ground.

"_Dean, he attacked me. You know what you need to do._"

* * *

Sam could feel that something was wrong before he opened the door of the hotel room. It was quiet on the other side. Alec had become enamored with watching television and if he'd been waiting for Dean and Sam to get back, he'd be zoned into that right now...unless something had gone wrong. He mentally cursed at himself for throwing out the phone earlier. He'd been letting his anger get the better of him lately and now he had no way of letting Alec or Dean check up on him or vice versa.

And then… well, he may have lost track of time.

The dagger was inside so Sam only had his gun with him. It wouldn't kill the siren, but it was better than nothing, right?

He opened the door slowly and blinked when he recognized Nick sitting on the bed comfortably. "Nick? What are you-"

His words were cut off when Dean suddenly grabbed him from behind, holding a bronze dagger against his throat… one that had blood already on it.

"Dean! Wha-" Pieces clicked and panic took hold. There should be three people in this room. Pictures were tilted, there was a crack in the wall, and items were scattered all around the room. "Dean… where's Alec?"

"Your freaky little pet is fine," Nick reassured him. "Or at least alive. He wasn't really in the way, not as much as you are."

"Where. Is. Alec?" Sam repeated, glaring at Nick.

"I'd worry a little more about yourself right now," The siren warned and walked up to Dean. "Dean, why don't you cut him, just a little bit. Get him to understand the gravity of his situation first."

Dean complied.

* * *

Bobby Singer needed a vacation. Maybe he'd go somewhere tropical and away from major apocalyptic omens. That sounded nice. It sounded better than getting grey hairs over what his boys were getting into every week.

Finding the hotel had been easy enough, pestering the clerk at the desk for the room number as quickly as possible had been a pain, and running up the stairs to the sight of Dean grabbing an axe? Well, that about gave him a heart attack.

Wasting no time, Bobby grabbed the handle and stuck the bronze dagger he'd brought with him into Dean's shoulder for extra motivation to drop it and to properly weaponize the thing. The grizzled hunter saw the only stranger trying to make a break for it, but Bobby hadn't lived this long as a hunter for nothing.

He threw the dagger and watched it hit its mark, sprouting out of the siren's back, before focusing on the boys to make sure the spell was really and truly broken. Dean seemed to wake up from it first, staring in shock at the figure at the end of the hall and then turning to meet Sam's eyes. Bobby couldn't bring himself to care about their drama when the one who'd called him wasn't there.

"Dean," The young man looked at him, still a bit disoriented. "Where's the kid?"

Dean paled and Bobby couldn't breathe for a second before Dean ran through the busted up doorway and up to the bathroom. His hand hovered over the knob like he was afraid it would burn him. He looked up at Bobby and shook his head. "I-I can't talk to him, Bobby. He won't want to talk to me. I said-Holy crap, the things I said..."

He ran panicked, shaking hands through his hair and shut his eyes tightly.

"It wasn't you, boy," Bobby lightly swatted him back and opened the door.

Alec was alive. He could tell from the short, stressed breaths that he wasn't okay, but he was alive. He was sitting in the tub with his knees pulled close, but alive and Bobby could breathe just a little bit again. He'd jumped and skittered away to the corner of the tub when Bobby had walked in and the old hunter only approached after identifying the recognition in the boy's eyes. He crouched down "You okay, Alec?"

The kid swallowed and glanced back at the door every few seconds. "D-Dean, h-he was… The siren got-got him."

"Yes. He got both of 'em which worked out I guess cause it let me take down the guy without too much trouble," Bobby explained. "The spell's broken; the siren's dead. They're back to normal now. You're safe."

The closer he got, the more his heart ached. There were several bruises he could see on Alec's face and arms and a small gash leaking at the kid's temple that dripped down the side of his face. He was keeping a hand on the back of his head too and Bobby guessed he'd taken a hit there as well. Even his shirt hadn't gotten away unscathed, bearing a rip at the sleeve and the collar too wide from being stretched from a strong yank.

But he doubted any of those things bothered him as much as what the siren must've made Dean say. "He didn't mean any of those things, Alec. It was the siren. You know that, dontcha?"

"He-e said… Said.." He shuddered and sniffed. "He hurt-... I thought-..."

Well, crap. The events that had taken place had triggered Alec more than Bobby'd thought it would. This was going to be hard. Things with the Winchesters always were.

"Alec… You know what a siren does, right?"

Alec nodded and winced at the movement. "Like Psy-Ops. M-makes you do things."

"That's right," Bobby agreed, sitting on the lip of the tub. "They make you do things that you don't want to do or say. They don't let you stay in control."

Twin tears fell from the kid's eyes and broke Bobby's heart. "I-... I thought maybe-... Maybe Dean could-..."

Ah, there was the crux of the matter. "You were hoping Dean could fight it," Bobby started softly. "To protect you."

Alec's shaking increased. "...Stupid…" He muttered hoarsely.

Balls.

"No, it's not," Bobby assured him. He reached out, giving Alec the option to keep his space if he wanted to. After a moment, Alec eased himself up to sit next to the old man and Bobby wrapped his arms around him. "It's not stupid. You were not stupid to wish for that."

He rubbed gentle circles on Alec's back to try to soothe him. "I will say it was a little misinformed, but not stupid. Sirens, they don't allow room to fight like some other creatures do. That's how they were able to make those other men kill the people they cared the most for. If it was a matter of fighting it, I have no doubt that Dean would've killed that monster rather than touch a hair on your head."

"But…But he said..." Alec shook his head and smeared his sleeve across his face, wiping some of the blood onto his cheek. "The siren wouldn't know those things. Dean said… said I was-..."

"I get it, kid. I know. Sirens don't just put the words into their victim's mouth, they use 'em like a wind-up toy. He was trying to use Dean to hurt you as best as he could. You know that's not what Dean really thinks of ya, right squirt? Dean thinks the world of ya, and so does Sam. Don't you doubt that. Let's patch you up now, though. I don't like that cut on your head."

The teenager pulled away and glanced over at the door again. "Are you sure he's-?"

"Really and truly, he's back to normal. And he's actually scared for you at the moment."

"Me?"

He nodded and knew that whatever the kid had been told, he'd need a lot of assurance. "I told ya, Dean cares about ya, kid. He didn't come in here himself 'cause he didn't know if you'd be alright with him or not. Monsters like that use what a person knows against those they care about and then they tend to leave 'em with the memory and guilt so everybody's feeling broken by the end. Sirens are particularly nasty. I know it might take some time, but I hope you won't hold it against Dean."

Alec stayed silent but let Bobby help him up to his feet and slung an arm across the older man's shoulders to help him walk out. To his credit, the kid only slipped up a little bit when he saw Dean, who was standing against the wall as far away from the pair as possible.

Sam immediately rushed over, hands briefly dusting Alec's face before going to grab ice. There was an alarming intentional distance between Sam and his brother when he passed by where Dean was standing. That boded well. Balls. It seemed nobody would be unscathed by this hunt. Bobby wished he could kill the thing all over again.

In the meantime, he helped guide Alec to sit on the bed and unceremoniously grabbed Dean's duffle bag to pull out the first aid kit.

"I heal fast. I don't need stitches or anything for the cut," Alec informed him robotically.

"Maybe, but I'd feel better if I could put a bit of Med-tape across that gash anyways. How's your head, too? You know how to tell if you've got a concussion."

Alec nodded. "I'll be okay." He glanced over Bobby's shoulder for an instant and the hunter could feel Dean shift anxiously.

"You okay if I ask him to help? You can say no," Bobby whispered so only Alec could hear.

He wanted to give Alec as much power in this situation as he could, but he also wanted the healing process to get started between them. He knew that Alec had been hurt by adults in his life before, but he needed him to recognize that Dean was different than the others. The other man was likely going to beat himself up about this for months or years already as penance.

Alec hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding. Bobby gave a small smile. "Hey, Dean, you mind grabbing the antiseptic and a washcloth? I want this cut cleaned up and we'll need it for Sam too."

Bobby knew Dean would be cautious before doing anything but would follow the order. A moment later, he had Dean holding the washcloth up to him while Bobby checked for a concussion. "What're you holding it up to me for. Clean up the kid, ya idjit."

Dean glanced at Alec, who was biting his lip but quirked the corner of his mouth up in acceptance of the help.

"Alec, I'm so, so, so sorry." The oldest Winchester croaked as the dam of silence finally broke, but Alec shook his head and glanced at Bobby.

"I-it wasn't you, Dean. I know it wasn't you. He was making you."

Dean grimaced. "Kiddo, that doesn't change the fact that you're hurt because I let this thing get the jump on me. Sam too. I should've-"

"-Dean," Alec cut him off. Dean blinked at him with matching green eyes. "I know. Just... let me…" He trailed off, but Dean seemed to understand something Bobby couldn't.

Sam appeared a short while later with enough ice for everyone's bruises and Bobby gave a brief lecture to Sam and Dean for not communicating better with each other or Alec.

Over the next hour, they moved to a different, less demolished, hotel for the night. Alec shared a room with Bobby and the brothers split another, but Bobby knew no one would get much sleep. When Alec went into the room, the old hunter pulled the brothers aside and ordered them to sort out what they needed for the kid's sake if not for their own. The teen didn't need to have lingering anger and drama around him and especially not from his caretakers.

He seemed to be easing back to normal. Bobby supposed that Dean's worry and concern had aided in the recovery, though Alec was still a bit shaken from the ordeal. It was just before switching off the lights that Bobby asked if Alec wanted to come back to Sioux Falls with him.

If the kid needed some time away from the brothers and their issues for a while, Bobby would be happy to give him that. Alec muttered that he'd think about it and climbed under the blankets.

If Bobby noticed Alec curled up asleep against his back at 3 in the morning, he didn't mention it.

The next day, Alec packed up his duffle and loaded it into the trunk of the Impala.

* * *

**Yep, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you guys soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

They needed a break. A 'vacation' was specifically what Bobby had said, but Dean wholeheartedly agreed.

The rumble and screams sounded as the cart rushed past overhead and Dean grinned down at the wide-eyed kid taking it all in. Brightly colored roller coasters towered overhead under the cloudy sky. It threatened rain, but that only made it more perfect since the crowds were gone. Several families and groups were still walking around, but the lines were only a few minutes long at the most popular rides.

Sam had opted to have his own down time for the day, complaining about a headache, but Dean knew his brother was trying to give him some time alone to undo damage with Alec. There was still some lingering tension between him and Sam too, but Alec needed to be a priority. Dean's gut still clenched when he saw the fading scratch at the kid's temple. The bruises were fading or gone but there were other wounds that Dean needed to help heal. He needed to show the kid that the siren had lied.

More importantly, Alec needed to have _fun_ and the theme park was only half an hour from their motel.

Dean glanced over the map and offered it to Alec. "Where do you want to go first? We've got all day and if you really like a ride we can go on it as many times as you want."

Dean would probably never admit to this, but he loved being in public with the kid. In their motel rooms, at Bobby's, or the car, he was 'Dean' to both Sam and Alec, but in places full of regular people, he got a new title.

"Dad, I don't know what they're like."

"Well, a good bet is usually whichever one is the shortest overall cause then they tend to be the easiest and slowest."

A moment of contemplation hung in the air before Alec grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him to the right. They went to a smaller ride first, unsurprisingly, and Alec watched in fascination as the train of carts swerved and dipped on the track before they got in line. Dean? Dean was just happy to be there, to watch the wonder and joy on his face.

But once they were staring at the open cart, there was a flicker of fear that the kid was trying to hide.

"You good?" Dean crouched a little to look at the teen. Alec was uncharacteristically quiet so Dean took a guess. "It's perfectly safe. Is that what you're worried about?"

Alec stared at his shoes and Dean ruffled his hair. "It's new, so you're nervous, but it's gonna be fine. I'm gonna be right there sitting next to you, too."

The little gate opened, signalling their entry. Alec took a steadying breath and grabbed Dean's hand.

It wasn't the first time that Alec had signalled the need for contact and reassurance, but previously it had been reserved for panics at night or else disguised as coincidental contact. Not only that, it had only been a few days since the siren incident. Dean had been letting Alec instigate all physical contact to respect his space.

He squeezed the hand that seemed so small in his own as they climbed into the plastic seat waiting for them and Dean pulled the lap bar down.

"You ready?" Dean asked as the ride lurched a little to start.

Alec gripped his hand tighter but nodded.

Wind pushed against their faces as they sped up, swooping down and then clicking uphill. Dean switched his hand that was holding Alec's and wrapped an arm around him as the cart reached the top.

"Here we go!" He grinned.

Down they dropped and swerved to the left and up, twisting in a mimicry

of the snake figurehead at the very front of the train. The few others on the ride had their hands up in the air, but Alec didn't ease up on his grip for an instant.

The circled twice and bounced along the track before pulling back to a stop at the end of the circuit.

Alec was stock still, his eyes blown wide and his face expressionless. The lap bar unlocked and lifted and Dean watched the kid. "So… what'd you think?"

The chimera blinked as if in a daze. "Are _all_ of them like that?" He asked, a smile tugging at his mouth.

Dean nodded.

Alec jumped out of the car. "Then what are we waiting for? C'mon let's go try another one!"

Yep, this was gonna be a fun day.

* * *

It didn't take long to realize that Dean had inadvertently awoken a speed demon in the kid. The rides chosen were growing in size as Alec grew more confident. One thing didn't change though, he always had some kind of contact with Dean: holding his hand for the first few rides, then jacket sleeve, and then leaning into him a little.

They stopped at one of the stalls on the way to another ride to try one of the game stalls. Alec had been staring at a small group as one of them knocked over some pins with a bean bag and earned a stuffed frog and Dean immediately pulled out his wallet for the kid to try.

He grinned at the stall workers face when Alec got a bull's eye with every throw and a few minutes later, Alec was the proud owner of an oversized shark plushie that barely fit in his arms.

They talked as the walked and waited and watched. They talked about everything that didn't really matter and told stories, talked about books Alec was reading, and Dean answered questions that Alec had about shops and rides.

Dean was pretty sure that by the end of the day his face was going to be sore from smiling so much. Alec was an amazing kid. He deserved to be happy like this every day, even if it wasn't practical or probably even possible.

The teen was mystified by the sights and sounds of the rides and attractions. The older hunter's heart might have ached a little at how new the idea of 'having fun' seemed to be for the kid, but it faded as the day went on. He couldn't fix Alec's past, but he was going to make certain that his future was going to have more days like this.

"Uncle Sam really threw up on one of those?" Alec asked, jerking his thumb at the spinning octopus ride.

Dean threw his arms out for effect. "_All_ over the seat! The poor kid was mortified and his date was majorly grossed out. It was hilarious."

A drop of water hit his cheek, but he ignored it.

"Have _you _ever puked on a ride, Dad?" Alec asked. His face was all wide-eyed innocence, but Dean saw a glint of mischief.

"I've started to feel sick on a few, but no. I have better control over my stomach than Uncle Sammy," he answered, hoping Alec wouldn't take it as a challenge. Two more drops smacked against his head and another _splatted_ on his leather jacket.

More rain drops started coming down and Dean steered them to a little overpriced funnel cake shop.

"You hungry yet, kid?"

Alec sniffed the air greedily. "I could definitely eat whatever that is," he pointed to the photo of a funnel cake coated in whipped cream, powdered sugar, sprinkles, and strawberries.

"I wouldn't mind one of those myself," Dean agreed and soon they sat at a table with their plates loaded with fried sugar. The rain had picked up a little outside but breaks in the clouds showed it would probably stop soon.

"So," Dean began around a mouthful of food. "This is called a funnel cake. Don't tell Sam we ate these or he'll try to make steamed spinach again and set off the smoke alarms."

Alec snorted as he took a bite of whipped cream and strawberries.

The door opened a few feet away as a man and two kids came in to hide from the rain. Alec watched them with intent curiosity.

"Dad! Can we get one of these with ice cream?" One of the kids, a little girl, asked while jumping up and down, swinging the father's arm.

Her brother soon followed suit. "Yeah Dad! They have chocolate sauce too!"

The beleaguered father caught sight of Dean and Alec and the plates in front of them. "Kids, huh?" He asked with a defeated smile and turned back to his children. "Alright, alright. But don't tell your mother."

Dean watched the exchange with mild amusement and returned to his plate. It took a few seconds to realize that Alec was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Somethin' on my face?"

Alec shook his head. "No. It's nothing, Dad."

He might have imagined it, but there was the smallest of pauses before Alec used their public cover this time. Like… there was something more deliberate.

But Alec was digging into his food again as though nothing had happened. Dean must've imagined it. His eyes caught sight of the still healing cut on Alec's head and quickly looked down again, losing his appetite. No, Alec couldn't possibly have meant anything by it.

"So, how old is yours?" The voice startled him out of his thoughts. The dad and his kids were pulling up a table nearby.

Dean blinked. "Uh."

"Fourteen." Alec answered for him. The hunter nodded instantly.

"That's a good age," the stranger smiled. "Jay here's turning thirteen this year and Aubrey's ten."

The kids in question were carrying their bounty to the table, beaming and chattering to each other.

After clearing their plates, they watched out the window as the rain slowed to a stop before heading back out to the rides. The other family had been nice, but they seemed to recognize that Alec was shy when it came to new people and Dean didn't say much either so they'd left them alone for the most part.

Alec had still watched them though, discreetly, using the reflections from the window and napkin dispenser. Dean wanted to ask if he had a bad feeling about them or something, but Alec would've pulled him outside faster if that had been the case. Instead, they'd waited until the dad and kids left before going outside again.

Dean wasn't sure what to make of it, but by the end of the day he'd mostly forgotten the interaction. He didn't care about other people today, what mattered was spending time with Alec.

* * *

"And then it did this crazy loop upside down and then twisted like crazy. It was _so cool!_ You would've loved it, Sam!" Alec gesticulated wildly as Sam listened to the day's adventures.

The man smiled and nodded. "Sound like it, but I'm glad you and Dean had a good time."

"It was the _best_! Next time you should come with us. If you do, I'll win a big stuffed moose for you or something, after I get Dad something cool like a dragon or a tiger." Alec threw his massive stuffed shark into the air and caught it as he fell back on the bed.

Sam forced himself not to acknowledge the slip the kid had made and instead pouted good-naturedly. "How come I don't get a dragon? Or something like a bear?"

Alec was now balancing the shark in the air on one of his bare feet. "I dunno. You just seem more like a moose or maybe a dog guy, more _chill_ but still cool," he reassured him. Alec suddenly kicked the shark into the air and let it fall onto his face before pushing it to rest next to him. "So, you said Dean was gonna be gone till tomorrow. What's he doing?"

Sam gave a tight smile. "He's hustling pool at the bar. It usually keeps him late so we're not gonna wait up for him." _Especially if he doesn't come back until morning._

There had been a few changes to the Winchester lifestyle since they took in Alec. Namely, a significant decrease in… _romantic encounters_ as they didn't want to leave Alec feeling abandoned or worried. That being said, the brothers had never been monks so Sam had told Dean to take the night off of childcare.

"Have you decided on a movie yet?" Sam switched the tv on. "We can hook up the DVD player or if you want to look for something new there's always something on tv."

Alec huffed. "I dunno, what's your favorite movie, Sam?"

Sam considered the question for a minute. "I don't really know if I have a favorite. Have you seen Star Wars already?"

"Dean keeps meaning to show me, but I think he likes Westerns more."

"Well, there's a Star Wars marathon starting in ten on this channel. You up for it?"

Alec plopped next to Sam on the bed and leaned against him. "Bring it on."

* * *

**Hopefully, that made you guys feel a little better. My big thing is I want them to have problems, but overall be happy so you'll find some fluff here and there to keep it light.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright, we're easing back to the cases and angst. Also, I've decided I'm going to have a Part 1 and later a Part 2 because I'm planning on writing this for a while and exploring what happens but I need to be able to work my editing process (I re-read it 2-3 times, go to sleep, and end up thinking of something else to add, it takes a while). SO, this story will be ending in about 10ish chapters but then I'll be back with the aftermath.**

* * *

Alec wasn't happy. He didn't want to take this case. This was a bad case, he could tell. He had a bad feeling about this case that ran all the way down to his toes.

Wyoming. They were in _Wyoming_. Dean had asked if he was okay with it and he'd lied and said it was fine. He didn't want to make Dean worry when he'd been trying so hard to make Alec feel safe again. And he had because Dean and Sam weren't like any adults he'd ever met before. When they said they were sorry, they _showed _it. He didn't believe in very much still, but he believed that they cared about him.

But now they were in Wyoming and he'd told Dean it was fine.

It wasn't fine. Wyoming was a bad place. It was a bad place because _the_ bad place was there. _Here_. They'd crossed the border into Wyoming an hour ago from Iowa cutting up north through South Dakota and continuing west. Alec knew because he had recognized a few of the city names on the highway.

The highway that ran through Gillette. The highway where they were - Alec read the green sign off to the side of the road - 213 miles from Gillette. He leaned over the leather seat in front of him and read the dashboard clock. 3:56 in the afternoon. It would be nearly four hours until dinner and Sam would want to stay in whatever town they ate at. In four hours or so, they'd be in Gillette.

Alec needed to fix this.

"Hey, this is a really urgent case, right?" He asked Dean.

Dean glanced at him from the mirror. "What do you mean?" He turned down the volume from Blue Oyster Cult and glanced for a moment at Sam who was snoring softly in the passenger seat.

"Well, this sounds like a Seal thingie, right? That means we've gotta get there fast?" Alec prodded. He was still a bit skeptical about the whole 'Apocalypse' thing, but considering he'd gotten enough evidence that monsters and angels and ghosts were real, it put it closer to the realm of possibility. And Alec did _not_ want the world to end when he'd just started to see it.

"Uh, I guess so," Dean agreed. He glanced over at his brother who was snoring a little bit in the passenger seat. "Why? You got someplace you need to be?" He teased, smirking.

"Quite the contrary, actually," Alec replied. "I just want to know if we're going to be stopping anywhere when I think we should try to drive there as fast as possible. This has gotta be something nasty, right? A demon or something like Sam said?" He nodded to the unconscious giant that had passed out two hours previously.

Sam had tracked down info on the case after Bobby tipped them off to it at the diner. It had kinda ruined Alec's double cheeseburger to suddenly be talking about death… and Wyoming.

"Well, yeah. We're going to get there, but even if we drove all night we wouldn't get there until late tomorrow. We'll probably stop for dinner and find a motel nearby."

Alec nodded, not trusting his voice. "C-" He cleared his throat. "Can we..._not_ go to Gillette?"

"Why?" Dean turned his attention away from the road for a moment. "It's the only city where there's guaranteed rooms available, Alec."

Alec took a deep breath to steel himself. "Okay. But we leave quickly, right?"

Dean studied him briefly before nodding. "Sure. We'll grab breakfast for the road and leave."

The transgenic relaxed a little bit more in his seat, trying to reassuring himself that nothing would happen. Who would be looking for him _20 miles from Manticore_?

"You want to talk about _why_ you want to stay out of Gillette?" Dean asked.

"Later."

After this whole nightmare was over and done with, maybe he could talk about it.

* * *

The diner looked innocent enough, but Alec still didn't trust it. Anyone could be in there. There could easily be spies from Manticore beyond those doors.

"Alec, we're not going to bring your food out to you. Just come inside, it'll be fine," Dean repeated for the third time.

Alec shook his head. "'M not hungry. You guys eat."

Sam leaned into the open door, hand gripping the frame above him. "Alec, you _are_ hungry. Your stomach growling and complaining is what woke me _up_."

The transgenic still cursed that move. He'd focused on food in the hope of getting hungry enough to eat before they pulled into Gillette and maybe by some miracle they would find a completely affordable motel with a vacancy across from the diner or something. He'd acted too soon, though, and they'd pulled into Gillette true to Dean's word.

"Alec, the longer we're waiting here, the longer we're in Gillette," Dean pointed out, still trying to figure out why the kid hated this place so much.

Alec got out of the car. "Fine. But if I say we need to leave for some reason, we leave. No questions asked."

"Uhhh…" Sam looked very confused but Dean nodded.

"Alright kid. I don't know what's got you spooked about this place, but fine."

"_Dean_," Sam protested but his older brother ignored him.

"You set to go?"

The transgenic rolled his eyes. "I'm fourteen, not five."

"Fourteen?" Dean asked.

Alec shrugged. Bobby said he was almost the height Dean was at fifteen which might complicate his timeline. "I think so, but I'm not certain."

"You _think_-..." He trailed off in shock and held up a finger. He paused and glanced between Alec and the building in front of them. "This conversation is not over." He warned and they walked inside the cheesy-looking diner.

* * *

"So, Dad, what exactly would 'homemade crust' imply?" Alec asked.

Dean beamed inwardly. "That would be glorious flaky goodness. You're looking at the chicken pot pie, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Try it out. It should be buttery flaky heaven with basically a stew inside."

Alec's eyes widened as he grinned, imagining the flavor already. He seemed to enjoy the greasy road-trip diet, but Dean knew that very few burgers could compete with Bobby's cooking. Maybe he should see if Alec had any cooking skills one of these days.

"Dean, that's not the healthiest option," Sam reminded him.

"Relax, Sammy." Dean leaned back against the booth.

Alec copied the movement. "Yeah, Relax, Uncle Sammy."

"It's _Sam_," Sam ground out, but Dean could tell that Sam wasn't nearly

as bothered about being called 'Sammy' when he was also being referred to as 'Uncle'. "I just want to make sure the kid doesn't pick up all your junk food habits."

"I'll be fine, Uncle _Sam_. I've got a suped-up metabolism," Alec reassured him.

A young teenaged waitress walked over to their table. "And what can I get you gentlemen tonight?"

"I'll have the Double Bacon Cheeseburger, and could you add a fried egg on that?" Dean asked.

"Sure thing. And you?"

"Chicken salad, please, with the vinaigrette dressing," Sam requested.

"Got it." The waitress paused when she looked over at Alec.

And then _looked_ Alec _over_.

Dean smirked when he saw her straighten up slightly. "And what can I get for _you_?"

Alec blinked. "Uh…" His eyes darted back to the menu in his hands. "The, uh, chicken pot pie, please."

Dean's smile widened and he glanced over to see Sam with a similar expression of surprise and amusement.

"Sure thing." She wrote down the order and winked at Alec before walking off across the black and white diamond linoleum.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Dean and Sam both chuckled. "And you didn't want to come in here," Dean teased.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked, clearly confused.

Dean's mirth ended and his eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding."

"What? Have I missed something?"

The Winchester brothers both gawked. "Dude… She's totally into you," Sam explained.

Alec looked mildly alarmed, dropping his hands into his lap. "_What_? No. She was just being… friendly… is all."

Dean poked Alec with the menu in his hand. "Alec, what do you think of her?"

"Um, she's _pretty_, I guess. I don't know." A pink tinge was creeping up Alec's neck.

"Awww…" Sam drawled. Dean could tell he liked having someone younger to tease after all the years Dean dished it out on him.

"How would you feel if she gave you her phone number?" Dean asked and saw Alec redden further.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. We're leaving anyway, aren't we?"

Dean frowned a little. That was one of the curses of this life that had plagued his teenage years, no lasting relationships. "We can stay if you want-"

"-I _don't_. You promised we'd go first thing," Alec refuted, picking up the straw wrapper from the table and ripping off little strips.

Dean was taking mental notes: The anxious behavior, the denial, not to mention how red he'd gotten. "Alec, you have no idea how to talk to a girl, do you?"

"That's not true," Alec defended. "I'm fine with it."

The brothers shared a look of genuine concern before looking back at their new companion. "Holy crap, dude. You've never talked to a girl before?"

"I just _did_!" Alec hissed, trying to keep the volume down. "No problems. And I had to grow up around girls too, you know."

" Talking to girls when you're ten is different than a teenager. You _stuttered_, Alec. You don't stutter unless something's got you freaked," Sam pointed out and Dean nodded.

"Like a girl flirting with you," Dean clarified. Was he going to have to teach Alec how to flirt? He was having flashbacks to teen Sam already.

Alec glared at them both. "I was _fine_. It doesn't matter. I don't want to stay here."

The waitress returned a few minutes later to find Dean and Sam with twin mischievous grins aimed at Alec who was slumped onto the table with his face buried into his arms. Food was delivered and it was only after nearly finishing dinner that Alec noticed the piece of paper with the nine curly numbers written on it in blue. The second he picked it up he knew he'd made a mistake because Dean and Sam were both watching him with evil grins on their faces.

"Yeah, kid. I'm sure she's totally not interested," Dean agreed sarcastically.

Alec groaned and buried his face again.


	17. Chapter 17

Dean put Alec on the lookout for trouble while they held the seance in the graveyard. Sam wasn't sure if Cole held the answers for what was going on in this town, but it was at least worth a shot even if he wasn't sure how it would play out. He glanced over the sigil and candles again and re-read the incantation.

"You sure this is going to work?" Dean asked, he could feel the temperature dropping every few minutes.

"No," Sam admitted. "But if his spirit's around it should smoke him out."

Dean closed the book and let a puff of steam into the cold air.

"What?"

"This job is jacked, that's what."

"How so?" Sam asked, fiddling with the ingredients for the spell. He knew what his brother was getting at, but just because it was hard, didn't mean it wasn't _right_.

Dean glanced around the empty cemetery. "You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up but _this_?" His eyes darted over to where Alec was walking around looking for any witnesses. He lowered his voice a little more. "We do this and people are gonna start dropping dead. _Good_ people."

"Look, I don't want them to die either, Dean, but there's a natural order." The less involved civilians were with the supernatural, the better the world would be.

Dean snorted. "You're kidding right?"

"What?"

"You don't see the _irony_ in that?" Dean asked. "I mean you and me we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death. And Alec isn't supposed to _exist_ but here we all are."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?" Sam argued.

Dean scoffed. "We're no different from anybody else."

Sam had to hold back a disbelieving laugh. "I'm infected with _demon blood_. You've been to _Hell_. Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. Sooner you accept that the better off you're gonna be. The better you _both_ are gonna be." Sam added meaningfully. Pretending that they could live normal lives was a sure way to get hurt. Or someone else hurt.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Sam simply gave him a knowing look. "You know exactly what I mean. You want a normal life for the kid, I get it. But his life isn't going to be normal. That's the way it is, Dean. He's not normal, we're not normal. You can't trick yourself that he's really your kid or something."

Dean froze. "What did you just say?" His voice was low and dangerous.

Annoyance crept over Sam's face at the territorial response. "Don't try to twist what I meant. Alec is different. He grew up different. You can't ignore that."

"Newsflash Sam: I made the choice to take him in. That makes me responsible for him. Besides, if we were living normal lives, we wouldn't have Alec."

Sam could tell Dean wasn't entirely convincing himself. "You gonna help me finish this?" He asked, giving his brother an out.

Dean rose to his feet and took a step forward before a blur came to a stop in front of them. "_Holy_-Alec, you're gonna give me a heart attack. What's wrong?"

Alec opened his mouth to speak and then grabbed at his throat in alarm as a man followed him into the clearing.

"_Alec_?!" Dean started forward but found his feet stuck to the ground.

The stranger looked at them all in turn before settling on the teen. "Cat got your tongue? Such a shame." He turned to Dean and grinned as his eyes rolled back into whiteness.

"Alistair," Dean naming the demon probably didn't do much to help his nerves. He needed Alistair far away from all three of them. "I thought you got deep-fried, extra crispy."

"Nah," Dean was _so_ going to send in a complaint to the angel department if they got out of this. "Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him," Alistair added like it was fun trivia. "It's hilarious."

The Winchesters glared at him, Dean keeping Alec in the corner of his eye to make sure the kid was okay. "Anyway… no time to chat. Got a hot date with Death."

The demon waved a hand and Dean went flying through the air, colliding hard with a tombstone. Alec was released from Alistair's grip and gasped in a shaky breath, nearly doubling over. The demon approached him thoughtfully. "And what _are_ you exactly? I wonder what makes you _tick_…what makes you _squirm_."

The low growl had built up in Alec's throat again, but he was shivering and Sam doubted it was from the cold.

"_Hey!_" Sam shouted, trying to get the demon's attention off the transgenic. He waved his hand forcefully and Alistair went soaring just as powerfully as Dean had. His back slammed against a tree and Sam went to exorcize the demon but Alistair smoked out before he could finish, trailing off into the night.

Sam slowly turned to Alec, who stood stock still with wide eyes at what he'd seen. "Alec, don't freak out."

Alec shook his head quickly but Sam was grateful he hadn't started yelling hysterically yet. "How did you do that? _How did you __**do**_ _that_, Sam?"

"I'll explain. Let me explain. Just calm down first, okay? And let's get Dean to the motel, alright?"

Alec had that look on his face that _screamed_ '**questions, comments, and many many concerns**' but he reluctantly nodded and sprinted over to Dean. Dean wasn't moving, but a quick glance showed a sizeable bruise making an appearance. "He's got a concussion most likely," He deduced. "We need to get him an ice pack."

"Alright. Let's get him to the car first."

"And the seance crap?"

"Leave it for now," Sam replied and they got to work hauling Dean to his feet.

* * *

Alec waited until Dean opened his eyes. He remained stalwartly holding the ice pack in place to help keep the swelling down on the fast swelling bump on Dean's head.

On the car ride back to the motel, Sam had explained in vague details how he'd had abilities but didn't want to freak Alec out because he didn't use them very often. Alec had reluctantly accepted this.

He'd known that Sam was unusual like all Winchesters seemed to be. He'd focused mainly on Dean when they'd first met, but he realized that Sam had the barest hint of Death in his scent as well… and something else he couldn't identify. That must be psychic power-bit. All in all, Alec knew Sam was human, or as human as Alec himself was, so he opted to trust him. Sam cared about him. He couldn't deny that the thought of psychic abilities made him nervous, though.

Alec didn't know how he felt about Sam's story changing for Dean. Sam mentioned that Dean didn't like it when Sam used his abilities so he wanted to make sure Dean didn't worry. Alec could understand that. He just wished he wasn't caught in the middle of all of it.

Sam's story, however, wasn't holding up very well. Dean kept glancing at Alec, who didn't know where his loyalty should reside and was generally avoiding the conversation by pretending to get ready for bed.

"You gonna tell me that nothing weird happened there, kid?" Dean asked finally.

"I'm not involved. This is your weird brother drama crap," Alec declared, holding his hands up in defense as he pulled on a comfier shirt and sweatpants.

Dean grudgingly seemed to accept this deflection but shot his brother one last leveling glance before dropping the subject. "So did you Q & A the dead kid?"

"Bobby called. We didn't have to," Sam announced. "He did some digging."

"And?" Dean asked.

"He thinks I'm right," Sam declared with just a hint of smugness in his expression.

"The local reaper got kidnapped by demons," Alec summed up, having heard the call on during the drive back to the motel. "Don't know _why_ since demons seem to be all about killing and the like but… yeah."

"Well, listen to this. 'And he bloodied Death under the newborn sky, sweet to taste but bitter when once devoured'," Sam read from the old leather-bound book.

"That's from Revelations," Alec announced. "So, it's a Seal thing for sure?"

"Yep. Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon - that's tomorrow night by the way - and you got yourself a broken Seal," Sam concluded.

Alec slowly tuned out, letting Dean and Sam figure out the next steps. He listened in, cause he wanted to learn and knew he had nearly caught up, but he wasn't the expert just yet.

He was excelling in his training as a hunter and the lore books were fascinating to read if terrifying at times when he remembered that these weren't stories anymore. The thought of creatures that were strong and clever enough to take down a transgenic was alarming but everything had a weakness, he just needed to find what they were. In the meantime, he'd been taking orders his whole life but he was alright with letting the Winchesters take the lead in supernatural affairs. They were professionals after all.

"We become ghosts," Dean suggested finally and he suddenly had Alec's full and undivided attention.

That was not something a professional ghost hunter should say, right?

The teen gawked from the couch, mirroring Sam's concerned expression.

"You _do_ have a concussion," Sam deadpanned.

"Sounds crazy, I know."

A moment ticked by before Sam relented. "How?"


	18. Chapter 18

After Pamela arrived, it became very apparent in the first few minutes that Sam wasn't the only one to think the idea was insane. Alec had wrangled back his opinion with some difficulty in favor of watching it all unfold.

He amused himself now by quietly counting up how many times the brothers managed to stick their feet into their mouths when it came to Pamela's blindness. Eventually, Dean convinced her to help out with the whole 'end of the world' reminder and she finally agreed.

...And then promptly turned to Alec. It was a little disconcerting since he knew she was blind. He was a little bit of a Doubting Thomas when it came to psychics but he was trying to stay open-minded. After all, he'd never met any adults as nice as the Winchesters, Bobby, or Jody before so maybe there were psychics that could be good. "Now, I wanna know what's up with this quiet little number."

"Pamela, this is Alec," Dean introduced. "And I promise you, when you get him talking, he's anything _but_ quiet."

Alec walked over and held out a hand hesitantly, unsure if Pamela would guess his action or not. She fortunately did, but the second their hands made contact, Alec felt a familiar jolt run through him.

He dropped his hand away and jumped backward nearly into the wall. "What was _that_?"

Pamela frowned. "Sorry, sweetheart. Psychic energy seems to like you. How much have you been exposed to it?"

Alec winced. "Too much. Don't-... Don't do that. I don't like people going inside my head."

The psychic nodded and gave a sympathetic smile. "Sorry again, hon. You've had it rough, I can feel it. And before you ask, no, I can't actually control that bit either so you're gonna have to deal with me being able to read you just as easy as I can read Dumb and Dumber over here. I promise if I need to read anything from you, I'll ask first and tell you what I'm doing, 'kay?"

Alec felt a little more at ease, though not by too much. Pamela might send his mind itching, but at least she was nice about it and she was snarky with Dean and Sam. "'Kay." He wasn't sure how much he could trust her, but at least she tried to be reassuring which is something Psy-Ops had never bothered with.

"Alright," The psychic clapped her hands together. "Let's get Casper a few new friends."

* * *

Dean smirked when the teen started to officially sulk. "But if it's too dangerous for _me_, how is it not too dangerous for you and Sam?" He demanded.

"Cause me and Sam are adults and you're still going through a growth spurt." This was true, in the last few months, he seemed to have grown nearly two inches.

"You're just mad that I'm gonna get taller than you," Alec shot back.

"Statistics are leaning toward you being the same height as me, squirt. Don't get your hopes up," Dean reached over and ruffled the kid's hair as he scowled.

Alec slumped onto the cheap hotel mattress and it creaked loudly. "This is _so_ unfair."

Sam grinned. "Yep, definitely a teenager."

Alec glared at him.

"Okay boys, you done acting 12 yet?" Pamela asked. "And while I'm asking the useful questions here, how exactly are you going to go about _rescuing_ the reaper? You're going to be two pieces of _fog_. You can't touch or move anything."

"I'm pretty sure I remember a few ghosts tossing _us_ around without any problems," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah? Well, they had plenty of time to practice," Pamela argued, raising an eyebrow.

"Guess we'd better start cramming, then," Dean concluded. They _needed_ to make this work. They didn't really have a Plan B in the works.

"Wow, a couple of _heroes_," The psychic teased.

Alec jumped to his feet in indignation. "They can do it," He declared and Pamela fell silent, probably not wanting to jinx anything or shake Alec's confidence.

Dean shot him a small smile of reassurance. The kid believed in them. Dean couldn't let him down. But his nerves were becoming more tense and frazzled by the second from the uncertainties. What if they failed? What if they never woke up? What would happen to Alec? Bobby was the go-to but he was getting along in years and would have difficulty keeping up with a teenaged chimera. Would it even matter if the world was ending?

There would be no satisfying answer until later. With an air of finality, he and Sam stretched out on their beds, trying to get comfortable despite the pins and needles lurking beneath their skin. Pamela went over the incantation while Alec watched and listened.

* * *

Alec was waiting for the brothers to sit up and tell them it had been a flop… only they didn't. The teen moved over and checked Dean's pulse. There was none. He quickly tried to swallow the sudden anxiety that seized him.

"Relax, kiddo," Pamela told him. "This is according to plan and we'll get them back. I assume they're somewhere over the rainbow here. Remember that I have to bring you back," She called to the room and moved over to Sam. "I'll whisper the incantation in your ear."

The transgenic listened closely, just in case something happened and it was up to him. He would be their last line of defense just in case-...

Well.

Alec was not expecting those words to be the 'incantation'. "You do realize I heard that, right?"

Pamela just gave him a cheeky smile. "Got you to unwind a little bit though, didn't it?"

The teen shot back a brief smile, took a shaky breath and sat down next to Dean. "I guess now we wait?"

"Uh huh."

"Awesome," Alec thought it was anything _but_.

* * *

The targets had gotten comfortably settled. Trailing them so loosely for the last several hundred miles had been risky, but their guard was now dropped. These elusive 'Winchesters' were cautious, to say the least, yet they never left their car behind.

Lydecker would be pleased. After thirteen escapees in the last five years, his status was being held in question. After the retrieval operation, however, it could put him back on track and no doubt promote whoever got him there.

Dr. Kelvin grinned to himself as he walked down the steel lined corridors. Spotting 494 or 493 had been a shocking stroke of luck. He wasn't sure exactly how the X5 had gotten himself these strangers to stay with, but he didn't care. There was a $25k bonus in it where he was concerned even if the grunts didn't recapture the asset.

Kelvin only wondered how a creation with a genius IQ had the guts to tour around the same town that he'd run from.

A few hundred miles away, a pair of steel-blue eyes watched the hotel entrance and waited for more troops to arrive and take their places.

* * *

It was _miserable_.

Time ticked on and on and they couldn't even risk a tv when they knew demons were in town and likely looking for them. The motel was an array of unusual smells that discouraged questioning.

And then there was the _kid_.

Pamela ran a hand down her face. She didn't want to risk this whole business. It could fall apart so easily it was ridiculous and her worry was making it harder to recognize the feelings around her.

One thing was for sure, she was never going to buy into that 'we need to save the world' speech again. No matter how pretty that man's face was. Even blind, she remembered the absolute _beauty_. Frankly, it had no right to be that flawless after a lifetime as a hunter… and she didn't even want to factor in _Sam._

Alec, spunky thing that he was, had turned into an anxious ball of pacing energy the more the hours ticked by. It was rolling off him in waves and the psychic had to tell him to take a breather more than once to ease off the pressure it was building on her. He'd asked roughly a _million_ questions shortly after coming to terms with the Winchesters being all but clinically dead for the next few hours.

She had indulged him for the first few of how she learned about her abilities and how she carved out a life for herself despite knowing about the supernatural. After a while though, she could tell he was just talking and getting her to talk to take his mind off the events unfolding in the non-corporeal world.

And now she just had a headache. Going on 4 hours, she asked him if he didn't have something better to do than worry and he sat on the couch to read. From the sound of the leather cover plopping in front of him, it was a big book. She hoped it took him a good long time to read.

Pamela still wasn't sure how long she should let the boys' leash go when it came to time. She knew it had to do with the Solstice Moon so it couldn't last all night, but would probably last until about midnight.

When she asked, Alec reported that it was a little after 10 pm. She figured if they were done and just hanging around, they'd make something move. If they couldn't manage that, they were doomed anyway but Pamela knew they'd want to keep practicing for as long as they could.

She yawned and stretched and then paused. She glanced over at the kid, more out of habit even though she couldn't see, but could feel that he had stopped his reading. Something was up.

She stood up slowly, edging her feet toward the bed to avoid tripping as she approached the 'heavily sleeping' brothers. She had just found the bed frame with her shoes when the loud _bang_ of the door being kicked open made her jump and spin on the spot.

She cursed Castiel once more for her blindness and tried to decipher the action going on around her. It happened too quickly. Heavy booted feet, several pairs of them, Alec shouting for her in alarm and panic, Pamela moved toward him but found herself being held back and her sunglasses pulled away. She struggled against the pairs of arms that had her pinned in place and heard the sounds of a fight from Alec before a zapping sound of something ominous and electric joined the mix. There was a _thump_ and a cry of pain as the zapping continued for a few more seconds. Then everything grew silent.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" She demanded, hoping to sound hysterical and therefore less likely to be taken as a threat. She was halfway there already.

There were half a dozen people that she couldn't recognize. She had to narrow down the individual thoughts to pick up anything useful. A gun was brought to rest at the base of her skull and she froze.

"You're gonna shoot a blind lady? What's wrong with you people? Who are you?!" She took a small amount of comfort that they were, in fact, _people_, but a better part of concern as to what the Winchesters had gotten her caught up in _this_ time that required human intervention.

A strong 'leader' vibe appeared and approached her. "The two on the bed, why are they unconscious?" He demanded more than asked.

"Th-they're dead," She answered shakily. Feigning the signs of distress which wasn't too hard considering she _was_ a little distressed. Who were these people? Where was the kid? "You can check for yourself."

There was some scuffling and in the silent altercation, someone had confirmed it to this man, this… _Lydecker_. She felt cold around him. This man was a reptile in human skin. She felt it stronger the longer she was around him. "Why are you here? Tell me now."

"Wh-where's the boy? What's going on here?" She repeated and then shivered, pretending to be terrified by the gun that pressed just a little harder. Alec _had_ to be alive.

"Ma'am, I don't know how aware you are of your situation. Would you mind informing me of the events so far? I'll be able to answer your questions after," He repeated.

Pamela decided that this man really needed to work on remembering what 'polite' sounded like because that gruff tone still sounded like a demand even if he was vainly trying to sugar coat it for a blind woman.

Her story formed quickly. "The two men there called me only a few hours ago. I'm a distant family friend that was in the area. Th-they were feeling horribly sick and asked me to come over because they'd found a kid and didn't want him to be left alone. I only just met the kid and then they-they-" she took a moment to stifle a fake sob and took a deep breath to calm herself. "I called 9-1-1 and we were trying to figure out what to do when all of a sudden I'm being _invaded_ and there's _stomping_ everywhere and _no one will tell me what's going on,_" She nearly shrieked.

She didn't know what had happened to the kid. She really hoped there would be some sort of snarky comment but she could pick him out more easily than the others and knew he was out cold.

Either way, the less these goons thought she knew, the better off she'd be. If she was just a confused civilian, they would have no reason to keep her quiet. Not to mention, the 9-1-1 call would have them out in a hurry.

"Alright, Ma'am. What's your name?"

"Pat Benatar," She answered, cringing internally at the idea of Lydecker possibly recognizing it as a fake. "Where's the boy and who are you?"

"Ma'am, the young man here is a fugitive. He's been on the run for a while. He's been convicted of several accounts of first-degree murder. I'm only glad that we arrived here in time to save you. He likely poisoned those two men who had taken him in and would probably have done the same to you if given a chance."

Pamela tried her hardest to look shocked and horrified. "Oh! Thank you so much! Who-who are you? Or is that-" she lowered her voice to a whisper. "_Classified_?"

"I've said too much already," Lydecker replied and Pamela had to disguise her snort of disbelief at their gullibility with a small gasp to imply her own.

"I won't tell another living soul," She promised and, ironically, she'd likely end up keeping it. Dean and Sam weren't alive again yet. "But what do I do about them?" She gestured to the beds.

"Wait for that response team to arrive. Explain that they were sick. Thank you for your cooperation ma'am. And I'm sorry for your loss," He added as an afterthought that didn't seem thoughtful at all.

_Lydecker_. Cold and calculating. She tried to see his memories as the soldiers seemed to pack up. She hated that she had to let them take Alec. She didn't know who these people were that he was running from, but she didn't blame him. She'd set the Winchesters on their trail to get him back the second they were out that door.

Finally, something cracked in that reptile's mind. He was heavily fortified but flashes of images crossed her mind's eye. Children. Weapons. Surgical procedures that turned into autopsies. Training. Water. Then all of a sudden it was gone. Locked up. She could feel his eyes on her as they made their way out.

The door closed. Pamela waited for a few extra seconds, letting her chin wobble in case it was some kind of test as she folded her arms tightly around herself. Scanning the room for any hidden company, she moved quickly over to Sam and hissed the reverse spell into his ear, trying to block out that chilling word from her mind: MANTICORE.


	19. Chapter 19

**I'm sorry, but it was somewhat inevitable.**

* * *

"_GONE?! YOU JUST LET THEM TAKE HIM!?_" Dean was on the verge of hyperventilation.

"As opposed to _what_, Dean?" Pamela shouted back. "I'm _blind._ What good would I have done in a fight?"

"I-I-" Dean was nearly wheezing as the trio zoomed down the highway, the speedometer ticking into the 90's.

"_Dean_, slow down. Breathe. You're gonna get us pulled over if you're speeding like that and we can't take that risk right now."

The oldest Winchester listened and took a few deep breaths as the needle slowly went down to the 80's and then dipped a little lower. Cars around them weren't impossibly slow by comparison anymore so Sam called it a win and dropped it. He was calling Bobby already to fill him in and try track down any possible military convoys leaving the area.

It was nearly two hours later and they were still continuing forward on instinct and dwindling hope while they kept driving East. Sam wasn't sure if he should ask Dean to just pull over before they ran off the road. It was still in the dead of night and the lighting on the highway was headlights only. He wasn't even playing any music in the car which was a set indication of an upset and probably volatile Dean.

Not to mention, they'd spent most of the day being _dead_ which Sam supposed was thought to be restful but it only made him more exhausted for actual sleep and he knew Dean could feel it too.

Pamela was the one who made the call.

"Dean Winchester. Take the next exit. We're stopping for the night," She stated simply from where she slumped in the back seat.

"_Stopping?_ We are _not_ stopping while this _Lydecker_ monster takes Alec away-!"

"To _where_, Dean? We have no idea if they're even still on the highway or not! They could've pulled off miles ago. We need to stop, rest, and get more intel or even if we find them-" Pamela started.

"-**When.** When we find those monsters."

"How are you going to save him?" Pamela slammed her hands on the seat for emphasis. "Dean, you're _exhausted_, we all are. If you're seriously going to go up against Big Brother's twisted cousin right now, you're going to need people who aren't dead on their feet."

"Dean, she's got a point," Sam relented and Dean shot him a death glare in response. After a moment or two, however, he reluctantly merged into the right lane.

He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the wheel. "I don't care who these creeps think they are, we are getting Alec back one way or another."

Sam nodded, part in agreement and another in reassurance. They needed to feel confident about this. Alec was family now and they didn't give up on family.

He looked out the window and tried to think. They might have a few other people to contact if they needed.

* * *

This was a nightmare. It _had_ to be. It was one of those - what had Dean called them? - night terrors. Those dreams that felt so real but he would wake up and Dean and Sam would be there. He waited to wake up. He _wanted_ to wake up.

He kept his eyes shut knowing with a sickening dread _exactly_ where he was and what the cold stainless steel tables and titanium cuffs meant. Thick disinfectant smell wafted through the room and heavy footsteps of his formerly fellow soldiers could be heard outside if he concentrated hard enough.

"I know you're awake. Welcome home, 494."

Home. Ha. Manticore was not '_home_'. Manticore was the furthest thing anyone could expect as a 'home'.

"Nothing to say, 494?" Alec glared over at the stranger. It was a woman, petite, bleach blonde hair, heavy eye makeup, and gave off the impression of an ice sculpture: cold and completely unfeeling. "Your records indicate that you had quite the bad habit of talking back to superiors."

He smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."

A heavily penciled eyebrow raised in what might have been amusement if Alec believed anyone at Manticore had a soul or sense of humor. "Let's see what we can do about it then, shall we?"

* * *

Dean paced. Pamela was scrying for Alec's location but hadn't had any luck so far. Sam had been trying to get him to calm down but he was having none of it. How was he supposed to calm down when the kid he'd claimed responsibility for, the kid whose trust had been so hard to earn, had been _taken_ from him. Taken from him by _Manticore_ no less.

Dean wasn't sure how he could feel worse about the present situation, but he did when it became more apparent that wherever Alec was and whoever had taken him, they were _warded_ from supernatural intervention.

He wished the kid had been able to talk about Manticore more. Initially, he'd tried to get him to talk about it for therapeutic reasons since the kid had some serious issues with the place that was only making his PTSD worse the more that he buried it. Now, Dean just wanted to know where they _were_ and how to find them. Even general info like whether it was privately owned or sponsored by someone he could specifically trace. Maybe there was a central loca-...

He stopped and stared into the space in front of him. Sam took notice and walked over. "Dean? You okay?"

"Gillette. They're in Gillette. They took him there," Dean announced and started packing the few items he'd taken out of his duffle. "We go to Gillette and we narrow it down from there."

"Wait, Dean, _Gillette?_" Sam pressed. "How did you figure that- oh," The memory hit him and he nodded. "Sounds like our best bet."

Pamela stood up from the table. "I'm not sure how we're going to find him when we get there, boys. Nothing's showing up on the mystic magic mirror."

"How easy can it be to hide a bunch of chimeras?" Dean asked.

Sam glanced at Pamela and they both said nothing for fear of killing to optimism in the oldest Winchester. At least he wasn't wearing a track in the carpet anymore.

They got in the car and drove the last hundred miles in a little over an hour. Dean immediately found a motel room in record time, opting for 2 queens in case Alec was hurt but he didn't need to voice that concern. They opened the door to find the room occupied.

"Winchester...and Winchester… and, _hello there_," Uriel said slowly.

"Aww. C'mon," Dean complained. "We don't have time for this."

Uriel ignored him. "You are needed."

"Needed?" Dean asked incredulously. "We just got _back_ from needed by you. We're needed _now_ by a _kid_ that's in _danger_. I'd say you're pretty _needed_ by us."

"Mind your tone with me," The angel warned.

Dean's teeth ground together. "You mind _your_ da-"

"-Can you help us?" Sam interrupted. "Can you help us find Alec?"

Uriel sneered. "That _abomination_ is none of our concern or yours."

"That **kid** is in trouble," Dean growled, storming up to the angel. "So unless you're willing to help _us_, you're on your own."

Uriel looked thoroughly unimpressed. "We raised you out of Hell for _our_ purposes."

"Yeah, and _what were those again_?" Dean raised a challenging eyebrow. He'd had enough of playing soldier for these goons. "What exactly do you want from me?"

"Start with gratitude."

"Oh." Dean forced a smile and held back a bubbling slew of insults at the never-ending demands of the cold-hearted creature before him.

"Dean, we know this is difficult to understand," Castiel finally broke his vow of silence in the corner of the room.

"And _we_," Uriel shot his companion a disapproving look. "Don't. Care."

Dean noticed Cas fall silent and straighten up in full submissive soldier mode and felt a sharp pang of alarm. First, the kid was missing and now even his sort-of ally when it came to the halo brigade was bailing on him. Could this get any worse?

"Now, seven angels have been murdered. All of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

"And a fourteen-year-old kid was kidnapped by a bunch of sociopaths with a penchant for creating chimeras. Oh, and by the way, did you know they're heavily _warded_?" Dean asked in mock politeness and fascination. "But none of that could be remotely important to you, I'm sure."

Castiel looked extremely concerned and even Uriel's brow furrowed at the knowledge.

"What's killing angels? A demon?" Pamela asked, frowning. "Cause a demon that can take down one of _you_ guys is going to be a bit of a problem. Oh, and by the way, Castiel, you need to work on your introduction skills," She added dryly, pulling away her sunglasses to stare in the direction of a highly uncomfortable and apologetic-looking angel.

"It was not my intent to cause you harm. I made several attempts to warn you."

"-None of this is helping Alec!" Dean reminded. "The longer he's gone, the more chance that he's hurt or dead! We need to find him _**now**_."

Castiel suddenly stepped forward to stand beside Uriel. "I will search for him. In return, you must accept the task given to you."

Dean paused and looked over at the blue-eyed angel and let out a slow breath. Cas hated Alec. Him offering to look for the kid... "_That bad_?" He cringed. "...What do you want me to do?"

"We still have Alistair," Cas began.

"Great, he should be able to name your trigger-man."

"But he… won't talk. Alistair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an _impasse_."

Dean felt Sam's eyes move over to him and sense Pamela's confusion. "Yeah well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean you guys are outta your league."

"That's why we've come to his student," Uriel finished. "You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

An icy cold washed over the hunter at the words. Sam remained silent and Pamela didn't have to be psychic to know not to ask questions. There was the answer: it _could _get worse. And it just did.

"Dean, you're our best hope. If you do this, I will do my best to locate and retrieve… _Alec_ as you call him," Castiel offered again.

That was an offer Dean didn't know if he could refuse or not. He glanced over at Sam, who's concern for the situation was clear in his hazel eyes. Dean walked over to Pamela and leaned slightly towards her.

"_Pamela, can you think of any ideas at all on how we can find him?_" He very nearly begged.

She shook her head. "Sorry, and even if we did, we don't have the firepower to get him out."

The Winchester nodded and slowly walked over to Cas, feeling the deja vu of a deal that had made him the angel's chess piece in the first place. It made him feel slightly better that there was regret in Castiel's eyes as he nodded. "Alright… I agree. You get Alec back here safe and in one piece and I'll-... I'll _help_." He nearly gagged on the word.

Castiel glanced over at Uriel, who sneered again. "Figures the mud monkey would be fond of the blasphemous creature."

"And you don't even _look_ at him in any way that is insulting," Dean snarled, eyes narrowed at Uriel.

Uriel sniffed disdainfully but said nothing and then he, Castiel, and Dean vanished in a flutter of wings. Dean blinked to find himself in an old warehouse and a sickening feeling of dread and anxiety swelled in his gut.


	20. Chapter 20

Cold. Alec hated the cold. He supposed it was helpful with the various bruises he'd amassed but adding iciness to build on his discomfort was stiffening and unwelcome. His head ached and throbbed in time with his pulse and nearly coincided with the puffs of foggy air the floated above him with each breath.

He didn't remember how he got here, not that it mattered. He did hate having blank spaces in his memory, though. It drove him insane. There have been _weeks_ of his life scrubbed away by Psy-Ops.

Maybe he should give up. It always hurt more when he fought them, but no matter what it would hurt. It was the difference between painful agony that lasted three or four months, or six to who knows how long before they gave up and terminated him.

There were moments though - _feelings_ \- that he didn't want to forget. Being on the outside: the rush, the fear, the hope, and paranoia topped with the immense relief and empowerment it had given him. He remembered sleeping in past 6 am and the first normal food he'd eaten. He'd swiped it from a convenience store: Pringles, soda, powdered donuts, and a plain hot dog when he saw the clerk get distracted by a drunk guy.

And then the Winchesters. In his mind's eye, Alec watched Dean bring him a bowl of stew, felt the weight on the creaky bed as the hunter sat next to him and talked to him about staying for a while in this strange place where he - despite all logic - felt safe and cared for. The day at the amusement park with the rollercoasters and the shark and most of all, talking with Dean. He saw Sam pointing at characters on the tv and explaining one of his and Dean's favorite movies; he heard Bobby's gruff sigh as they both sat in cozy chairs reading for the day.

And then there was that word. That terrifying, ominous, powerful, warming, ridiculous word that had been somehow applied to _him_: Family. But did that still hold true? Would they look for him? Did he _want_ them to?

Alec felt like they might. But, if they looked for him and _found_ Manticore… he shuddered from more than just the cold. They'd be dead in an instant. They knew too much. They knew Alec existed and what he could do and that there were others like him which was more than enough for Manticore to send out a hit on them. Pamela, if she was still alive, might tell Dean and Sam what happened if-**when** they'd woken up. They should be aliv-_**awake**_ by now. Was Pamela even still alive? If she died was there any way of Sam and Dean coming back?

They might not even be _alive_. That was depressingly comforting to him. At least if they were dead, he wouldn't have to wonder if they would bother with searching for him or not and, who knows? He might be joining them soon. He'd been a lot of trouble for them, he knew. They put themselves at risk worrying about whether or not he was safe on a hunt because he was still a novice. He ate their food money away. He made them both miss out on sleep when he got caught up in night terrors and Dean usually had to bring him back, and he'd never even told them about his life, the things he'd done. He didn't deserve them, even if they really didn't mind.

Maybe they were better off.

His feet were turning purple now. They'd been yellow and stiff for a while and he hadn't been able to move his fingers either and shivering from the cold had died out long ago. He hated cold, hated how every breath he took felt like knives in his chest and even numbness was tainted with needle tip pinpricks on his skin that stung more when he moved.

It was _so hard_ to _breathe_. The second the idea came to him, a coughing fit burst from his throat. Icy daggers raked the trail to his lungs as he sputtered for air, fog bursting in mini storm clouds in front of his face.

There was a metal clang and the door far to his left opened and a pair of guards moved toward him. Fighting was no longer an option when he could barely breathe. Rough hands grabbed him by the arms and dragged him out.

Alec's green and gold-flecked eyes still burned from the cooler as he held them shut to gain some relief, but he heard the snarls and growls as they trekked down the hallway of the basement. The Anomalies were hungry, they were always hungry. He half wondered if he'd be their lunch… dinner… _breakfast_? What time was it? How long had he been there?

"Here you are, 494. I trust you're familiar with the place." There was the woman again. He couldn't see where she was or really care.

He was hefted onto the bed, which was incredibly stiff and might as well have been the floor but he guessed it was nicer than it could've been. The jolt woke up all of his bruises a little more. Everything seemed a little fuzzy. He tried to let his imagination bring him back to the bed at Bobby's where a warm quilt was draped over him and a cozy pillow cushioned his head instead of a military-sanctioned cot with the scratchiest blankets in existence.

A heavy clang signaled he was now alone with the intermittent howls of the Anomalies for company. He focused on breathing, slow and even and deep, relishing in the dulling of the pain in his lungs. His pulse pounded away in his ears and against his skull.

He felt a sad, bitter chuckle break past his cracked lips.

_Home sweet home_.

* * *

Cas was looking for Alec. Dean didn't trust angels, but he got the feeling Cas would be an exception to most things. He didn't like the idea of 'Junkless' being in charge - Uriel just had the special gift for rubbing him the wrong way - and Dean felt a twinge of guilt at Cas being demoted because of him.

But he couldn't focus on that right now. He couldn't feel bad about Cas because Alec was in danger and Alec needed him and Alec was missing and Dean couldn't find him. And as long as he thought about Alec, about getting Alec home, he didn't have to think about the demon he was stuck with in the meantime.

He picked up the knife slowly, ignoring the jibes from the demon in the fancy Enochian devil's trap. Turning to face Alistair, he breathed out slowly to keep his face as neutral as possible. He didn't know what would show if he hadn't bothered. Misery, guilt, resignation, anger, and a part of him, a part he was a little scared of, was ecstatic. Alistair had torn him apart day after day after day for _decades_ and now he had been handed a chance for payback. He didn't have the same useful magic of having the demon be repaired at the end of every session so he could start over and start carving in a new way, but he had other tools at his disposal.

Before he really thought about it further, he had run the salt-coated knife in a deep jagged line down the demon's chest...

...And got a laugh in return. Dean remained stone-faced as best as he could, but the repulsion from the wheezing, cracking voice was getting more difficult to ignore.

"That's right, Dean-o. Let loose. Must be nice to give a little back, huh?" The demon gave a hacking cough and Dean took satisfaction in the demon's poorly masked discomfort. "Just remember, little Sammy's waiting for you once you're done, right? Sweet little Sammy. Sweet, _fragile_, little Samuel."

"I'd recommend you shut up about my brother," Dean warned and filled a syringe with holy water. "And instead, tell me who's killing the angels."

"Touchy, touchy," Alistair tisked. "Maybe we should talk about that freakish little twerp, whatever he is. How's he gonna feel when he finds out you've gone _dark side?_ Maybe I'll tell him while I dissect him…"

Dean's jaw ticked and he slowly injected the holy water, taking note of the writhing from Alistair. He'd been thinking of Alec and Sam like life-preservers in the middle of the ocean to keep him from snapping and tearing Alistair to shreds or giving up entirely and falling apart. Alistair was _**not**_ going to take them away from him.

* * *

Sam trusted Cas more than he trusted Uriel. He made his main priority that of finding Dean while they had a lead on Alec. He hated having to prioritize. He cared about Alec, really. They hadn't had all the bonding moments that Dean and Alec had been through, but Sam had seen enough of the kid and what he did to Dean to know that he was good and should be kept around. Dean was _lighter_ with Alec. Sam guessed it had a bit to do with Sam getting older and Dean never growing out of the role of protector and caregiver that he'd been placed in since they were kids.

Alec gave Dean a cause that he wanted to fight for and Sam had agreed wholeheartedly that the kid deserved at least a _chance_ to find his place with them and Alec had melted in pretty well since then.

Cas would find him. Sam was sure. He had faith in angels long before Dean ever did. In the meantime, he needed to find his brother before something got permanently broken in him.

He would've called Ruby, in fact, his hand had been on his phone and ready to dial, but Pamela was there. Tracing Alec was impossible with the wards, but she'd found a spell that could find Dean easily enough as long as Alistair's prison was warded against demons only.

He wasn't sure how Pamela felt about Alec, but she at least cared which was all Sam could hope for in this situation. Alec was a charmer at times and it was entirely possible that the psychic felt the same attachment and desire to protect the kid. In the meantime, the spell was underway and soon, Sam would be on his way for his own rescue mission.


	21. Chapter 21

Castiel was very _very_ alarmed. He'd found the compound, but some powerful warding was preventing him from flying inside. He stood outside the gates some ways away and watched the building.

There were more than he'd believed there to be. One chimera had been bad enough, but there were _dozens_ here. He didn't know if the humans in charge of the facility understood the threat posed to Earth's continued existence by their 'soldiers'.

He knew the truth of what they'd been made to be. The dark stains on Alec's soul had told him his profession easily enough: _assassin_. And yet…

Castiel knew he shouldn't doubt orders. He knew he should be cautious especially with the timeline in flux, but the way Dean had defended the creature… the _soul_ being present in the transgenic.

It made him wonder where these creations truly stood on the humanity scale.

With a wave of his hand, the lock was dealt with and the gate swung open. A closer inspection of the invisibly glowing warding proved that while nothing could simply appear inside the walls, it didn't stop anything from walking in. It was quite fascinating. It's design caused those who weren't looking for it to never sense it.

He strolled easily through the fence and waved the guards' attention elsewhere as he continued through the compound. The blueprint of the building was a mystery to him, so he paused when a man came around the corner.

Before the man could speak, the angel set two fingers on his forehead, freezing him. "Where is X5-494?" Images raced into his mind of hallways leading to the reindoctrination portion of the facility. "Thank you." He continued on, leaving the man dazed on his feet with no memory of the event.

Down several more hallways and a set of stairs, he turned to the source of a cry of pain. Following it several paces, he froze and paled slightly. While knowledge told him that this was a creature of great and terrible potential, that small vein of doubt that Anna and Dean had been steadily opening told him that this was a _child_.

He couldn't be more than seven years old. Several straps held him down as a bright red laser blasted into his eye into the cortex of the brain that contained the processor for pain response. This was…

This was sickening.

Emotions were dangerous, gateways to doubt. He had been told this. Perhaps his superiors were right to keep a closer eye on him because he felt _anger_. Bubbling, righteous fury that crackled the air around him. Lights flickered for a moment before the machine suddenly fizzled and sparked and broke down entirely.

The 'doctors' inside the room were puzzled while the child panted in relief.

Castiel would do something about this place, but first, he had a boy to find.

* * *

He was slowly getting feeling back, just a little, and it wasn't all pain either. Alec wondered if they sensed it somehow. Maybe they timed how long it took before relief started to settle.

They took him again. He began bracing himself for the agonizing pain of that red light shining in his eye for hours on end… but they didn't go there. He knew the exact route to that room and this was not it.

They stopped in the hallway and a boot slammed into his ribs. He curled around the new injury, gasping, before another caught him under his chin. Right, he needed more bruises first. He didn't have enough apparently. Another kick to the ribs, a stomp on his leg, a fist managed to knock his head back hard against the concrete floor.

Coarse rubber grated against his hand and he felt cracked bones shift his fingers, choking down a fierce yelp of pain. The faceless guards picked him up again as the door opened and he was dropped back into the freezer.

At least the guards had stopped, right?

He decided something was seriously wrong with him when he saw freezing half-to-death as some sort of relief. His skin prickled with goosebumps and he started coughing earlier this time, hoping to get the coppery taste out of his mouth as he rolled onto his less-bruised side.

It hurt to cough. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. An increasingly large part of himself wished he had Pamela around to do that death-spell thing on him like she'd done for Sam and Dean. He didn't even care too much if the reversal didn't work out.

A ragged sob shook him but he didn't give it a voice. He wanted Dean and Sam and the rumble of Baby. His nose stuffed up and he gasped and tried to stay in control, but he was slipping. Tears froze at the corners of his eyes and he pressed his bruised face to the concrete floor.

He wanted to be home.

Time ticked on.

He regained his composure somewhat in that he felt the cold leeching on his energy. His head throbbed from resisting a full meltdown. His toes, fingers, ears, and nose all started to sting horribly and he curled up tighter, trying to block out the pain in his ribs.

The door slid open.

That was _wrong_. The door wouldn't open until he was on the verge of unconsciousness and he was still shivering violently. He opened his eyes as best as he could despite the puffy bruising that reached the corner of one of them and seemed ready to spread.

A pair of shoes that once looked nice but now had seen better days was approaching him. They weren't boots. This must be someone from upper management.

A knee landed a few inches in front of him and a hand ghosted across his forehead. It was warm. So warm. Alec's eyes, however, were focused on the unusual coat. It was a tan trench coat.

Blearily, he looked up through one blackening eye. Castiel was there, his eyes held poorly masked raging emotions. Alec waited for the 'smiting' or whatever it was that angels did to kill something evil but nothing came.

"Alec," He stated simply and Alec blinked up at him. His brain and mouth had been disconnected for the moment.

Alec ended up hiccuping slightly in response as he shivered from the cold. Warm arms braced themselves underneath his shoulders and knees and he found himself off the ground and moving out the door.

He didn't know what was going to happen. Maybe, just maybe, Dean had convinced Castiel that he wasn't truly evil and to rescue him and bring him home.

That or he was about to die.

Either way, Alec was fine as long as he didn't die within the cold, unforgiving stone walls of Manticore. He hung limp in the angels arms and darkness crept over his vision.

* * *

Castiel made it out of the compound slowly. It was painful to be unable to simply leave with his new charge and made even more so by the strange discovery he'd made.

His powers had only minimal effect on the transgenic. He couldn't heal him unless he had hours at his disposal. It was very distressing.

The harsh lights within the facility made the angel notice more of the injuries. This creature, regardless of its semi-human status, had been horrifically abused in the short time since his capture. This place, this _Manticore_ was _**wrong.**_ Castiel would happily see it destroyed, but such actions took time and planning. And what of the other chimeras? What would happen to them?

He may need to consult the Winchesters. It seemed his charge had a greater understanding than Castiel had realized. It was becoming more and more worrisome that the decisions of the Righteous Man were contrary to what Castiel's superiors had ordered… and even more that Castiel found himself more willing to follow Dean Winchester's lead than Zachariah's.

Once he felt the presence of the wards leave him, he flew back to the motel. Alec was still cradled in his arms, bruised, bloodied, and shaking from the cold.

The psychic was alone in the room.

"Where is Sam?"

"Cassie. How nice to - well, not _see_ you exactly, huh?" Pamela greeted dryly but rushed over as the angel set Alec down on one of the beds. "Sam's gone after his brother in the Winchester way. What happened to the kid? All I'm getting is massive pain readings off him."

"He has been injured and placed in subthermal conditions as well as subjected to things I do not have time to explain. He is injured. Please help me tend to him." He made to leave but the psychic grabbed his arm tightly.

"Ex_cuse you_?" She gawked. "First of all, _I'm blind_, thanks to _you_ by the way. Second, do I look like I'm set to play _nursemaid_ while there's an _angel_ here?"

Castiel paused and reached out a hand suddenly, placing his palm on the woman's forehead. He felt righteous power flow through him and then slowly ease away.

Pamela stared at him.

Stared with fully functional eyes.

"I…" Her eyes darted to take in the room before settling on Castiel once again. "I thought you'd be taller."

Castiel frowned. "This is merely a vessel. I was under the impression that you understood that better than most."

Pamela waved the topic away. "Why don't you fix Alec? The boy's a _mess_," The psychic immediately took in Alec's state with her newly repaired eyes. "Even with Dean's good looks to help him."

"My abilities... I am unable to heal him. It's unclear why. I-" He froze and stiffened. Something was wrong. Something was very _very_ wrong. "Dean is in danger."

He vanished without wasting another second.


	22. Chapter 22

**Well, that's one rescue underway.**

* * *

"_**Wow, a couple of heroes."**_

"_**They can do it." Alec countered instantly. **_

_Oh, Alec, wherever you are, I'm glad you're not here._ Dean tried his best to clear his mind. He had to maintain the delicate balance between focusing on the job - horrible though it was - and on Sammy and Alec to keep him from going full dark side. _Again_.

And of course, now there were deep chasms of guilt that he had to maneuver around. If Manticore had Alec… If the kid's nightmares were anything to go off of, there were some sick and twisteds ruling that place. Sick and twisteds who made their livings inflicting pain on Alec and the kids like him; for a job, for information, to see what made them tick…

_When Alec killed people… what did they do to that kid to make him agree? To do whatever they ordered? Things like __**this**__?_

Bile lurched mutinously in Dean's gut. He knew this was different. He knew Alistair was a demon: a monster of carnage, violence, depravity, and death who murder in cold blood as easily as looking at a person. But not all of those other souls had been fairly condemned. They didn't deserve the things he'd done to them.

_Your dad didn't break, why did you?_ He gritted his teeth and turned back to the table, trying to ignore how familiar his 'tools' felt when they rested in his palm.

"You know, it was supposed to be your father. But in the end, it was _you_." Alistair muttered through his torn up throat, his chuckle sounding like a mutilated squeaky toy. Somehow, to Dean's inner annoyance, his wheezing voice was still has grating as ever. "He was supposed to bring it on."

"Bring what on?" Dean asked as disinterestedly as possible. It was important to keep them talking, they were more likely to let the information slip right past their lips without realizing it.

"Every night the same offer, remember? Same as your father. And finally, you said '_sign me up'_. Oh, the first time you picked up my razor…" Dean looked down at the salt-coated knife in his hands. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out the words that he knew were designed to torment him right back.

"That was the First Seal." The words caught him off-guard. He quickly shut any expression out from his face.

_No. NO. __**NO.**_

He strolled up to his prisoner, it felt more like stalking trapped prey. It was a trick. It was always a trick, something to tear him up even more. He felt a slow smile of entirely false confidence ease across his face. "_You're lying_."

"'And it is written that the First Seal shall be broken when a Righteous Man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, **so shall it break**," Alistair sneered at him.

Dean mimicked the expression, reading the demon's eyes for signs of deceit. Something deep in his soul told him he didn't want to know for certain what was fact or fiction on this point. He turned away, panic growing more and more prevalent.

"We had to break the First Seal before any of the others…" Alistair droned on. "Only way to get the dominos to fall, right? Topple the one at the front of the line."

_NO. No. no._

"When we win," The demon drawled. "When we bring on the Apocalypse and burn this Earth down, we'll owe it all to you: Dean Winchester."

Dean was fiercely battling the urge to shiver or run out of the room. His attempts to calm himself through deep, measured breaths weren't quite doing the trick anymore. _Alec and Sam, think of them._

_Yeah, how when the world ends and they die it'll be your fault._

_Weak._

_Broken._

"Believe me, son," Alistair pressed on. Dean wanted to hurl at the term of endearment. It was a slander against John Winchester to be even remotely compared to this monster. "I wouldn't lie about this. It kind of a… religious sort of thing with me."

_STOP TALKING. SHUT UP. SHUT UP!_ Dean wanted to scream at him and just stab him to silence the demon. That wasn't one of the options he was given.

"I don't think you are lying," He admitted slowly. "But even if the demons _do_ win…" He gripped the knife tightly. "You won't be there to see it."

Dean spun around to continue and instead widened his eyes in shock at the monster merely inches away from him and entirely free.

"You should talk to your plumber about the pipes," Alistair suggested dryly.

The hunter didn't even have time to react before an iron fist slammed him to the ground.

* * *

Pamela wasn't sure what she could to do help the kid. She still was _not_ used to being blind even if she had her psychic advantage. Now, however, she wasn't used to _not_ being blind. It was a bizarrely frustrating limbo.

When she'd first reached out to touch the kid, Castiel hadn't been overreacting. The kid's skin was like _ice_, nearly _burning_ cold. She couldn't tell if he was shivering or _seizing_ from how much he was shaking. Her hands passed lightly over him, searching for bones that shifted too easily. Pamela was a _psychic_, not a _hunter_. She might've fibbed earlier with that Lydecker creep, but her go-to really was to call 9-1-1 if someone was in bad condition.

Unsure what to start with, she rifled through the Winchester's bags for a first aid kit and then ran to the bathroom to grab a towel and get hot water on it.

She washed some of the blood from his face and tallied up how much ice she should get for the bruising. His fingers were disturbingly crooked but there wasn't much she could do about that apart from icing those too. It took her a minute or so to get him as wrapped up as she could manage with the blankets in the motel and went out in search of an ice machine.

She set up 'bags' using towels and ice around Alec, placing the first aid ice packs on the head injuries. The psychic fussed over the blankets and hoped there were no _serious_ injuries that she was neglecting.

Should she check for a concussion? How did one check for a concussion? Should she look it up? She kinda wanted to just because she would actually be able to _see_ whatever she found.

The train of thought was derailed when a groan sounded in the room, punctuated by shivers that accompanied a slight rustling from the blanket mountain of Alec. "Hey, squirt. You joining the land of the living?"

Another stuttered moan of exhaustion was the only reply and then silence.

"Right. Good talk kid. You just hold on, okay? Dean and Sam will be right back. You'll see," She reassured the probably unconscious form. "You'll see."

But Castiel had seemed worried when he'd poofed off.

She didn't know angels could _get _worried.

She didn't think she ever _wanted_ to know.

* * *

Sam had decided in advance that if he was pulled over for speeding, he'd punch the cop out, giving profuse apologies, and then start speeding again. He had a very _very_ bad feeling about this whole thing and it was building up the longer that Dean was out of sight.

He pulled to the outskirts of the city and followed the phone directions to the warehouse. One kicked down door later, he was scanning intently for his next destination. Sam didn't have to wait long. The sound of punches and crashing pulled him into the main room in time to see his brother's last line of defense being put out of commission. Castiel was down.

Alistair had broken loose. Sam felt the familiar surge of power and raised his hand, launching a blast of energy that shot the demon to the wall and pinned him there. The angel he'd been battling slumped against the pillar supporting the roof.

"_Stupid pet tricks_," Alistair complained.

"Who's murdering the angels? How are they doing it?" Sam asked, no room in his voice for trivial discussion or banter as he strode into the room.

Alistair groaned. "I don't know."

"Right." Sam gave a tight smile that radiated sarcasm and started to close his fist, tightening the psychic bands around the demon while Alistair cried out. He spotted Dean out of the corner of his eye and his heart clenched. His bruised and bloodied brother wasn't moving. _Please, __**please**__, let him be alright._

"It's not us. We're not doing it."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you." He pushed further, seeing the damage the demon had wrought on the others made the younger Winchester want to squish the demon like an insect.

"Lilith is not behind this!" Sam listened and Alistair began to chuckle. "She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a _thousand_."

Sam stopped the building pressure. Now released, Alistair simply looked bored. "Oh, go ahead. Send me back. _If you can,_" He added tauntingly.

"Oh, I'm a lot stronger than that now. Now, I can _kill_." He focused all of his energy on crushing the twisted grimy soul lurking beneath the surface of the now wide-eyed host. Sickening yellow light flashed in bursts behind the vessel's ribs before collapsing into a rapidly cooling heap.

The hunter didn't waste another second as he ran to his brother's side.


	23. Chapter 23

**Deep breaths, the sad and heavy stuff is ****mostly**** over. Anyone have any particular happy moments they'd like to see? Send me a message and I'll try to work it in.**

* * *

Castiel watched, risking an outward expression of deep concern, as he studied the healing progress of the two nearly identical forms on the hospital beds. Side by side, Alec and Dean were slowly making recoveries in a hospital on the cusp of South Dakota.

The doctors had many questions but could easily judge the severity of the injuries required their full attention. It was understandable that the humans would show so much alarm at two sudden arrivals that were so soundly beaten, one hypothermic as well, to the point that they bought Sam's lies as truths for the meantime.

Alec apparently had a hyper-metabolism and only the heaviest dosages of medication would do him any good. The pair had been mugged and Alec had been shoved off a bridge and into a freezing river, breaking some fingers in his hand and bruising him badly as a result of the frigid collision.

The angel might have had to coerce some of the attendants' into believing all of this without question. The longer he could assist in swaying attention away from Alec, the longer Dean would have to recover.

It also meant Castiel had an unsettling amount of time to go over how this could have happened and who was responsible. His discussion with Anna had planted a dangerous seed in his mind. Seeing the monstrosities of Manticore had further shaken his perception. Things were not right. Something had gone horribly wrong in their judgment.

Someone… Someone had given incorrect information, had made a wrong assumption. Someone had betrayed them.

He needed to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

The pain had receded. Alec didn't trust it for a moment. Everything had turned into a bassline throb in his ribs and throat as he breathed. Clearly, somebody had sedated him but it was only enough to give a mild respite from the pain.

The scent of the air around him was still sterile and metallic. His memory failed him. He hated not remembering. It meant that those Psy-Ops sociopaths had been tinkering around with his thoughts and wiping his mind.

He tried to concentrate and keep his breathing slow and steady despite the itch of the cannula brushing the skin of his nose. He'd seen shoes… icy blueness… that was all.

Slowly, he cracked his puffy eyes open. Bright lights filled the room and clean white sheets and a thin blanket were draped over him. Recovery room. They must've really done a number on him to land him in here. He let his heavy eyelids win and blocked out the light once more.

His head hurt. He didn't want to think and he didn't want to destroy his naivete on the issue of restraints until later. He was still cold, but not nearly as much as before. The blankets were heating him up. They were surprisingly soft. He felt a steady ache when he breathed almost like he was weighed down, but he didn't think the blankets were _that_ heavy. His eyelids were though. Everything felt heavy.

Footsteps made their way in, shuffling of papers accompanied the quiet muttering of the doctor or whoever was coming in to check on his status. They moved closer, Alec felt the slight change in temperature from the man's - unless this lady liked cologne - 98.9 readout when he same close. Alec remained perfectly still and feigned sleep even as the uncomfortably cold stethoscope piece touched the skin at his chest below the scrub shirt he was wearing.

"How's he doin', Doc?" Someone asked and Alec gasped in a deeper breath. He knew that voice.

"Pretty well. Give him some time. I'll be back to check in again soon. He's fighting off the hypothermia very well. It looks like we won't even need to drain his lungs of the buildup there. I'll check on him again in a few hours."

"Glad to hear it." Footsteps moved away.

The teen fought to open his eyes again and find the voice's owner.

"Alec?" Brownish-hazel eyes filled with concern were suddenly over him and a calloused hand cupped his face. "Alec, hey, buddy. How're you feeling?"

"_Sssmmmm_…" Using his vocal cords was harder than he thought it would be. His throat was sore and dry. A straw poked against his lips and he took a sip of refreshing water, ignoring the way it tasted like _medical_.

"Better?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Alec managed. "Where...?"

"We're at a hospital," Sam informed him. Alec made his stance on the new and painfully obvious deduction very clear with a flat expression. Sam rolled his eyes. "We're near the border of South Dakota. Manticore has no idea where we are."

Manticore. He'd been caught. Manticore had caught him.

Psy-Ops...the hospital around him...this was a _trick_. Psy-Ops was in his head. It was the only explanation.

"NO! NO! GET OUT!" Alec blocked out the pain in favor of sitting up and pushing Psy-Ops Sam away to make a break for the door. Unfortunately, even with superior strength, he was exhausted.

His arms were too heavy. His legs were heavy. His head weighed approximately 200 Lbs. Heavy heavy heavy...

Fake Sam had caught him easily and was telling him to relax. The fact that the transgenic slumped slightly into the hold had nothing to do with the soothing quality of the voice and a lot more to do with all of his adrenaline seeping away and leaving him exhausted. A lady in scrubs appeared in the doorway a moment later but Fake Sam waved her away. Alec couldn't escape. They had him surrounded.

"No…" His cracked voice muttered again, but his brain was fuzzy. His thoughts floated away down a lazy river. The sound of the water filled his ears with a staticy sound.

"You're okay, kiddo. You're safe. Manticore's not here. You can trust me," Sam repeated through the buzzing, rubbing Alec's back soothingly.

He spent some time working up his energy, but when he did, Alec blinked owlishly at the room around him. The sounds and sights came a little clearer. Upon further study, this hospital didn't look like the med-bay at Manticore. There were pictures on the walls and cheap plastic flowers in a vase across the room. Looking out the door, he could see doctors, nurses, and various patients roaming the halls at individual speeds. That didn't seem like Manticore either.

But it could just mean they'd gotten creative.

"You want some more water?" Sam asked gently.

Alec nodded and followed Sam's movement carefully before freezing on the spot when he saw the bed just a few feet away from his own.

Dean. Dean was there. Dean was there and he was _hurt_. Badly from the looks of it.

Sam noticed the water remaining untouched and followed the teen's vision toward his brother. "Alec, he's gonna be just fine. The doctors say he'll be clear to leave in a day or two. He's just-"

"-He's _hurt_," Alec interrupted, his throat hurt as he wheezed. "He's _hurt_ because of _me_."

"_**No,**_" Sam grabbed Alec's chin to tear his eyes away from the unconscious form across from them, making the teen wince from the pressure on a bad bruise. "Sorry. Listen, it is not your fault. It's the _angels'_ fault. They made Dean do a job for them and they screwed up. That's how Dean got hurt. But we got you back so he probably won't even care."

"What do you mean?" The transgenic was trying his best to follow the explanation despite the cottony feeling around his brain, but there were clearly a lot of pieces he was missing for this particular puzzle.

Sam gave a small smile. "I'll explain after you get some rest, okay?"

The statement was accompanied by a strange shift in gravity that Alec couldn't place until his head settled against the pillow once more. Sam carefully pulled the blanket back up to keep him warm and ruffled his hair slightly.

"You promise this is real?" Alec asked, his voice a little more scratchy as he started drifting.

Sam gave the teen's hand a brief squeeze and nodded. "I promise. You wake up and we'll still be here and I called Bobby so he's getting his house ready for recuperation," He reassured him.

Bobby.

Bobbing.

His eyes were bobbing open and closed before finally pulling down with finality. Within seconds, the heavy morphine drip had sent Alec back to dreamless bliss.

* * *

Sam ran a tired hand over his face. This was going to be logged in his memory as one of the most exhausting days in his life.

Dean was in a bad way, but he should heal up in a little over a week or at least enough to go home. Sam knew they wouldn't stay that long cause Dean too stubborn to do something as helpful as _resting_ while he recovered. Maybe Sam could convince Alec to play up his quickly healing injuries and help convince Dean to relax and let himself heal when they got to Bobby's.

Cas had been avoiding the three of them. Sam knew it and he hoped the angel felt a certain amount of guilt after what had happened, although he was increasingly frustrated that the angel wasn't there to heal Dean or Alec. Sam wasn't sure how any of this had even happened. Alistair shouldn't have been able to escape from a _hunter _approved devil's trap, let alone one created by an _angel_.

Something was messed up with the halo brigade. Too many things weren't adding up with their behavior and their actions. Maybe it had something to do with Manticore somehow changing the timeline like Castiel had feared but it felt more internal than any outside influence could produce. It just didn't add up to Sam.

It only bolstered his resolve that working with Ruby couldn't be a mistake. If angels were turning bad, a demon could be working for good. He understood everyone's concern and he hadn't discounted it in the least, but he had only seen positive results from the alliance so far.

He had to get stronger. He _had_ to. For Dean, Alec, Bobby and the rest of the world, he would get more powerful. Even if it killed him.


	24. Chapter 24

After Dean had woken up, Sam had gone to grab some grub that wasn't jello and Cas had fluttered away leaving Dean stewing in a mess of guilt and self-loathing. Alistair had been right. He'd broken the First Seal. He'd jump-started this whole mess and he knew there was no way he could clean it all up on his own.

Alec shifted onto his side and Dean wished he'd been there to save him

from Manticore. He wished a little more strongly that he could line up every person responsible for Manticore's creation and take turns pummeling each one. Sam hadn't said much about what they did to Alec there, but if Alec was in the hospital next to Dean, it was _bad_. Dean had forgotten to ask Cas what had happened, or ask if there were any important details that could help them destroy the place where Alec had grown up and been twisted and hurt so badly.

But where had he been instead? Staining his soul with more blood. Yes, the host had undoubtedly been dead for weeks with Alistair possessing him, but Dean felt unnervingly familiar with each and every tool and felt the bloodlust rise with each slice. The dark twisted survivor of his time in the Pit had taken over again and Dean was still reeling from trying to wrangle it back into its cage. A pesky voice told him that if he did go out and demolish Manticore, it would be pretty hypocritical of him. At least Manticore had also patched up those that they tore apart. Dean would just wait and start again when they were pieced back together.

"Mmmm_mmmm_…" Dean turned to see Alec's only lightly bruised face scrunch up in discomfort.

"Hey, buddy. You waking up again?" His voice was a croak but Alec's eyes blinked open in response.

"Hey, Dean," Alec managed through a yawn. The kid didn't sound much better than Dean.

"Do you need more pain meds or something? Sam went out to grab some non-hospital snacks."

Alec seemed a little happier at the thought, but his usual spark of life seemed duller than Dean had ever seen it. "D'you know if we can leave soon?"

He received a pained smile in return. "You'll be cleared sooner than me. But we'll try to hit the road soon. Why? Hospitals aren't your thing?"

The transgenic shook his head slowly, his eyes going a little unfocused for an instant before snapping back. "I don't like the smell. It's too close..."

Dean nodded in understanding. "Do… you wanna talk about it, kiddo?"

"N-no. No. I don't. Ever." Alec's eyes widened in fear at the prospect. Dean knew when it was time to back off from a subject and held his hands up in a non-threatening manner. Alec still seemed nervous, though. "But… Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"I… think I..._need_ to. I can't yet, but soon," He promised.

Dean smiled reassuringly. "Whenever you're ready, kiddo, and not a moment sooner."

"And… you guys won't…" Alec mumbled off.

Green eyes found their identical pairs and Dean understood. "No judgment. No matter what. At least not on _you_. Manticore, on the other hand, ought to be blown sky-high with every last faculty member inside."

Alec's cracked lips quirked up at the idea. "There's a fun idea."

* * *

Alec spent the first portion of their 'talk' staring at his hands in silence. He didn't know how to start, what he should say to get the Winchesters to understand what it was like, what he experienced and why.

He liked living with them. He liked the adventure of moving around and fighting the good fight, saving people. It made for a very nice change. They'd accepted him even after the werewolf incident, he could trust them with this. It was okay. He would be okay.

A few light snowflakes were trickling down across the window but the heater in the hospital kept the cold away. Dean said that there were holidays coming up soon that they'd spend at Bobby's.

"Do you want us to ask questions? Would that make it easier?" Sam prompted.

"I don't know. Maybe," Alec admitted.

"Okay, um, well, you don't like being left alone too long. What started that?" Dean began, adjusting himself on the hospital bed to be more comfortable. The teen sat by his feet with Sam in a chair nearby.

Alec took a deep breath. "Solitary confinement. It was a common punishment for mistakes or disobedience. If you were _really _bad or they thought something was wrong with you, you went to Psy-Ops in the basement."

"Did you get sent there much?"

Alec nodded. "They do things there - things with your brain. They have psychics but they're not nice like Pamela. They make you forget things and force you to do things and they-they-th-"

Red light streamed into his eye, burning and sizzling without any lasting damage and with no way to avoid it. Never stopping, not while you were conscious at least, no matter how much your muscles spasmed or your throat and skull ached from screaming for it to stop.

Then a gun was in his hands and someone pointed at a creature, an Anomaly. The crack of a bullet. A dull thud. Then they would move on to suspected staff members, then total strangers.

"I killed people. They told me to kill people and I did and I didn't think about it and I didn't care about it and I hurt people and I lied to people and I ruined people and I didn't feel any of it. I still don't sometimes. It just was that way. I didn't care. I never cared until it was too late," The words shot out of him before he could think.

The brothers stared at him as the silence stretched between them all. Alec couldn't meet anyone's eyes.

"You just wanted the pain to stop," Dean said after a moment and the transgenic looked up at him, although he didn't remember Dean being that blurry or it being a little hard to breathe.

"I should've cared," He managed hoarsely.

"If you had cared, it would've broken you a lot more to do those things and we never would've met you," Sam reminded.

"I should've cared anyway. I should've fought harder to stand _up _to them, to _stop _them." Bones ground against one another behind sealed lips. _Should've been better_.

"You'd be dead," said Dean.

Alec slammed his hands on the table in front of him. The force of it made his residual bruises ache. "That shouldn't have stopped me. I was a coward and a killer and I-I-I don't deserve this. I don't deserve _you two_. I don't deserve a family!"

"Too bad!" Dean suddenly bellowed. Alec paled at the sudden reaction and Dean's heart monitor threatened to alert a nurse. "You're right, there are some things you don't deserve. You don't deserve to be someone's puppet. You don't deserve to have your mind toyed with. You don't deserve to be punished for thinking or feeling. You don't deserve to feel like you've got anyone's blood on your hands because of what you were forced to do."

The teenager gaped. "I-... Wha-..."

"You heard me. You didn't deserve what happened to you from the start. _I've_ done horrible things. I've taken lives, lied, tortured, and ruined. I don't deserve having you and Sam in my life to make me feel like I'm not a total failure cause I can take care of _you_," Dean ran a hand down his face. "So drop the talk about not deserving family cause it doesn't matter whether or not you deserve being tied to our lives. You are. End of story. Case closed. Let's move on."

Alec could only blink for a minute. He and Sam were stunned into silence.

Eventually, Alec nodded, feeling a lot warier and yet… comforted than before. "I, uh, I don't know what to say."

Sam evidently sensed the need for a topic change and seized the opportunity. "Anything medical that we should know about? Your DNA is different and we know you need tryptophan pills for the seizures. Is there anything else we should be aware of?"

Alec shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. Unless you count that I can hold my breath for five and a half minutes and I'm a universal blood donor. You already know I heal fast."

"Alright," Sam nodded. "That last one is good to know in case anything happens to any of us."

"So, kid, I'm not going to ask about 'em if you don't want to talk about it right now, but you know you can talk to us when you get night terrors too, right? We'll listen," said Dean.

Alec didn't respond more than a brief nod and refocused on his hands. "I'm just not used to that. Nightmares meant we couldn't handle the stress of our missions. It's _weakness_."

"No, it's not," Sam argued. "Nightmares happen and they happen to everyone."

Alec shook his head fiercely. "I'm not _human_. I'm supposed to be _better_. It's fine for people, but a transgenic showing weakness is _pathetic_."

"And who told you that?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

Alec blinked. "I-...I don't understand the question."

"Who told you it's 'pathetic to show weakness'?"

The transgenic frowned at the hands in his lap.

"Manticore planted that idea in your head. Do you want to believe everything that they told you?"

"_No!_" Alec shot back immediately, glaring at Dean before realizing his reaction and looking away again. "I-..."

"Then why don't you take our word for it? We can help you recognize the lies in what they told you, but only if you listen to us when we point them out." A hand appeared in his line of vision. "Kid? Do you trust me and Sam?"

Alec swallowed uncomfortably, knowing they were watching him intently. "I… Yes. Of course, I do."

He hesitated.

It seemed like such a small thing to them to say things like that. And why shouldn't it be? Dean and Sam always helped people. The only problem was, Alec wasn't a normal person. Manticore knew what he was made of - they'd _built_ him. They knew what he was capable of, and how he worked. Dean and Sam were wonderful. They cared for him, helped him, listened to him, but they'd only just _met _him a few months ago. They took care of him.

He looked up when they didn't respond and saw them doing their weird 'silent brother conversation' thing which irked him.

Sam eventually broke the silence. "Alec, it's okay if you don't trust us with everything yet. You can tell us. We won't be mad."

Warmth crept up his neck to his face. "I _do_. I trust you." They looked at him blandly. His chest felt tight. "I trust you," he insisted again.

"Alec," Dean gave him a little smile. "It's okay. We get it."

It didn't feel okay. Shame built up inside him. He cursed himself. This was pathetic. He was acted _pathetic_ and _weak_… He blinked rapidly.

Those weren't his words.

Crap, he really was all screwed up in the head. Maybe they should've left him at Manticore. Manticore would know how to fix him. It would hurt, but it would make him better, more effective, more... _not his words._

He looked up at the Winchesters' patient expressions. Dean slowly set a hand on his shoulder and Alec felt steadier instantly.

Maybe they knew him better than he thought. Maybe… they could fix him.

"I want... I want to trust you. With everything," A part of his mind protested; a voice that sounded a little too much like Lydecker. "It's... hard though."

"That's okay. We just want to be able to help you."

Alec nodded his head. This was risky, but he was a risk-taker. Wasn't that the whole reason he'd escaped from Manticore? He wanted to take the risk that something was better than Manticore. He could do this. This could work. "Okay."

"How about we keep going?" Dean pressed on. "What would happen when you got nightmares at Manticore?"

"Too many and you were labeled a defective."

"And...what happens to the 'defectives'?" Sam asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to know and already guessing.

"Termination," Alec answered numbly. He could detach himself from the situation. "Usually organ harvesting for future compatible transgenics. Sometimes they were shot, others were hunted in Track and Terminate exercises, some were fed to the Anomalies in the Basement."

"Anomalies?" Dean mumbled with wide eyes. He was grayer than he'd been a few seconds ago.

Alec nodded. "The first attempts. They were the rough drafts, experimentals. They have too much animal DNA and it shows too much for them to be sent out."

"The more I learn about this place, the more I feel like torching it and puking simultaneously," Dean stated simply.


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, so this is ending up a bit longer than I'd anticipated. We're slowly getting to the ending for part 1 though. In the meantime, I hope you guys are enjoying it!**

* * *

There was evil in this world, a lot of it to be exact, and now the name Manticore would be super-glued onto the list of nasty horrific things out there in Dean's book. Alec had told them as much as he could soon after explaining the Anomalies. There was a lot he didn't say and Dean wasn't going the press it. They'd get to the night terrors and the rest of the ugly in Alec's past some more when he was ready to talk.

Bobby had everything set for the Winchesters when they arrived the

next day. Until Dean and Alec could both run up and down the stairs without problems, they'd be on 'rest and recoup' mode.

Dean had never expected to be so attached to this kid. The more he saw of that puzzled, hopeful look when Alec saw or experienced something new, the more Dean felt his heartbreak for the kid and harden against Manticore.

There were so many things he'd taken for granted all of his life and Alec was experiencing them for the first time, it put a lot of things into perspective. Foods like ice cream, cereal, stew, and most importantly chocolate, now seemed richer since Alec's emotions became contagious. Movies and television were savored as Alec's eyes grew wide at special effects. It'd been a few months and the kid _still_ got _excited_ about going to a store where he could pick something out that he wanted to eat, wear, or own.

They'd have Thanksgiving in a few days and after that: Christmas.

His mind flashed to the year before. He and Sam had managed a decent Christmas for Dean's last year before the Deal came due. This year with Alec had to be even better. He and Sam never really had the best of Christmases in their childhood on the road with Dad, but they'd had other happy memories. Alec didn't have enough of those memories. He needed the best Christmas. But how was Dean supposed to manage that?

They'd come to Bobby's, that much was certain, and they'd get a tree and as many presents as Dean could manage. His eyes darted around Bobby's living room. The tree would go great right there near the window. Bobby was sure to have lights and ornaments. He'd get boxes of books and games that they could bring in the car underneath. Yeah, that sounded good. He'd go all out.

The kid had also chipped away at Dean's walls. Dean hadn't shown affection to many people and not that much to them. He'd show it in small ways and it became an automatic that they knew he cared. He didn't have that option with Alec.

He may have hugged, ruffled, and reassured Alec more in the short time of knowing the kid than he'd done to Sam in the last five years. The kid had been brainwashed too deeply to just expect him to recognize that Sam and Dean didn't consider him to be a liability or defective if he messed up or to stop believing that he was a burden that needed to earn his keep.

And yeah, Dean wanted two hours, a truck full of C-4, and a little alone time with Manticore and all of its staff members.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to think like that anymore. He'd let himself slip into that uncontrollable anger with Alistair and look how _that'd_ turned out. He didn't want to be _anything_ even _remotely_ close to what Alec's torturers had been like… but this was a matter of _justice_, not sadism.

These people - no - _monsters_ got their kicks by doing science experiments on _children_. And then they had the audacity to call the _children _monsters. They were going down. He had a sick feeling in his gut knowing that these people weren't even possessed, just twisted.

And going back, even for such a short time, had done a number on Alec's psyche.

Ever since he'd opened up at the hospital about Manticore, it seemed like Alec was in a fog. Like he'd let out too much at once and it had taken over. Maybe Dean and Sam should've paced him a bit more with what he was willing to share, but they'd been so relieved that he was finally letting them in a little bit that it didn't even cross Dean's mind that Alec might've been pushing himself too hard to talk. He'd opened his own Pandora's Box for them and it was eating at him.

Dean was certain he'd watched the kid manually shut off the instinct to snap to attention every time anyone walked into the room. The transgenic was jumpy again about everything, it was almost like all the progress they'd made with him over the last several months had been erased from all but his memory.

Dean stiffened from where he sat as soon as that thought came to mind. Pamela mentioned Alec being exposed to psychic energy… the way he'd flinched when Cas tried to read his mind…He swore again under his breath. They'd messed with his head.

He glanced over to Alec, who was sitting ramrod straight on the couch despite his no-doubt sore ribs. His eyes were locked onto the tv but his mind had gone elsewhere again. He'd been having trouble focusing, like he was waiting for the rug to be ripped out from under him.

It seemed obvious now. Manticore had broken into Alec's head again and now he was trying to rewire everything to the way it was before.

"Hey, Alec?" He started carefully.

The teen nearly jumped and centered on Dean's words. "Yes, sir?"

Dean bit his lip. He'd gone from sometimes 'Dad' to 'sir' again in the span of a week. "You… you know you're safe now, right? Cas got you out of there and Manticore won't be able to find you again, Cas'll make sure of it."

The angel in question had apparently undergone a change of heart when it came to the chimera that the Winchesters had adopted. He'd pulled some other wings down to sniff around the facility and promised to keep them far away from the Winchesters. If the sudden change in Cas' attitude wasn't a major red flag for Dean, he didn't know what would be.

"You're safe. We'll keep you safe," Dean promised.

Alec just stared at him for a moment, his eyes guarded and hesitant, before he very _very_ slowly nodded and turned back to the tv screen.

It was like when those cartoon characters get hit on the head with a mallet and start buzzing up and down - like his center was suddenly about to topple over into a mess - when he could tell that Alec didn't 100% believe that this was real. Gritting his teeth, Dean stood up and shuffled from his chair to the couch next to Alec. His body protested the movement fiercely, but he ignored it. Within a moment, he had his arm around the kid's shoulders and pulled him to sit closer.

_I'm real. This is real._ He **willed** for Alec to believe it, to _feel_ it. Maybe something was getting through cause he seemed to relax a little bit against the older man. Dean squeezed Alec's shoulder just a little, mindful of the bruises the kid had collected. "_It's okay, kid. Take your time and we'll be here_," He reminded softly.

Dean had never been one for the 'chick-flick' moments, but when it came to the kid… it was different. He needed more reassurance. Sam and Dean and, heck, even Bobby had been fine with the tough-love act for years but Alec had only ever had the 'tough' part. _Cruel_ if Dean was being honest.

Alec needed a different method and if that pushed Dean out of his comfort zone… Alec was more important.

The kid couldn't express emotions so, ironic and pitiful as it was, it was up to Dean Winchester to show him how to be emotionally balanced.

And, oh boy, was Dean gonna have to try _hard_ to not screw this up. If it wasn't so horribly depressing, he'd laugh.

* * *

Bobby set a hand on Alec's shoulder, making his footsteps loud enough to not startle him. "That's coming along great, kid." He nodded to the vegetables on the cutting board.

Alec gave a small smile but didn't respond. It was breaking the old hunter's heart to watch the teen ghosting around the house again. It was giving him odd, flickering thoughts of a grieving five-year-old that he'd met so many years ago.

Thanksgiving had come and gone and they'd even had Jody to celebrate with them, but they could all tell Alec was holding himself back from enjoying it. Dean was grins and encouragement with the kid throughout the whole day and the obligatory football game on tv, but he'd snuck out before the pie was ready. The next day, Bobby had found one of his totaled Chevy's distinctly more dented from a crowbar than he'd left it. Sam was a bit more snappish and Bobby had spotted glimpses of Ruby which made him a bit suspicious.

All three of the boys were treading deep water.

He'd shared the idea to Dean and Sam, to clear it with them before he'd brought it up to Alec, to stay with him for a few weeks. The kid needed some stability and recovery time and hunting might not be the best thing. Alec had agreed on the condition that Sam and Dean only take easy hunts and call for backup if anything other than a salt and burn appeared on their radar.

The boys had packed up the truck reluctantly and after many hugs and reassurances on both sides, they left.

Alec stayed with Bobby.

The gruff older hunter had once griped about the kid's initial chatterboxing, but now he wished that trait would come back. It had been two weeks since the incident with Manticore and Alec was still quiet apart from the mumbled questions or statements. The most Bobby had seen him riled up was when Dean and Sam explained the idea that he stay behind and rest while they went out. The kid had pitched something of a fit, pointing out unfairness and the risk, before he seemed to catch himself speaking without worrying about his words and went back to near-silence.

Bobby only had to look at his boys' faces to see how much it hurt them to lose that hope. At least when Alec had been all temper, he'd been closer to the Alec they'd taken in rather than the shell he'd built around himself.

And so, without much else to do, Bobby had put the kid to work. Alec had shown some interest in mechanics - which Bobby guessed had something to do with wanting to impress Dean as well as natural curiosity - so they'd go out into the lot for a few hours and study engines. Alec's unfailing energy helped with cleaning the house from the attic to the panic room.

It was a good thing that cooking was a constant necessity cause the old mechanic was running out of chores for the kid to complete.

Alec was now chopping up celery and carrots to add to their stew. He was dicing each of the veggies with a perfectionism and precision that had Bobby working to bite his tongue on the matter. Alec had been a blend of regular slovenly teenage boy and neat-freak OCD soldier since the beginning and now Bobby couldn't tell which Manticore trip this particular trait had spawned from.

Sliding the veggies off the board and into the steaming pot, Alec turned, wiping his hands on his jeans before looking expectantly up at Bobby for the next task. Bobby sighed and gestured for the kid to follow.

Alec nearly marched into the living room after Bobby but paused when Bobby simply sat back on the couch.

Bobby raised an eyebrow at the teen and gestured for him to sit as well. "What're you waitin' for? We've just gotta wait about 30 minutes. Nothing to do until then."

Alec nodded and plopped down into an armchair, his posture so rigidly straight that it was hurting Bobby's lower back just looking at him.

"Alec, can you tell me what it is I'm doing wrong?" Bobby asked finally.

The teen transgenic looked even more alarmed. "Sir?"

"Tell me what I can do to help you get back to normal," The hunter rephrased.

"I… I don't…" Alec petered off.

Bobby rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. "Alec, you're safe. You can _say_ whatever you need to, _do_ whatever you need to, _act_ however you want to. You're _**safe**_. Manticore ain't gettin' you back again. Do you believe that?"

The kid was now studiously focused on his hands that were clasped tightly in front of him. Bobby saw the knuckles turning white. He said nothing, simply sat waiting for an answer.

"I… I think it's true, but I…" Alec began.

"...But you what?"

"I don't know if I can risk it." He admitted quietly. "They had psychics like Pamela but they-..." Bobby could've sworn he saw the kid go three shades paler. "They hurt. And they made you see things. They could snap your brain off like a switch if they wanted to. I've seen 'em-..."

"So you're worried this is all some kind of hallucination? Is that it? You've been out for weeks, Alec."

"Time's in your head," Alec argued right back.

"Well, so is your fear," Bobby said. He turned to face the kid a little better on the couch. "Kid, would you rather keep livin' in the fear of this being a trick for the rest of your life, or would you like to take the small risk that you're wrong and just wake up - which would happen whether you acted like this was real or not, I might add - and feel miserable again? Wouldn't ya rather _try_ to be happy even for a short time? I don't know what to do to convince you. Dean and Sam are just as stuck as I am on how to help. So tell me, is there something I could do to show you that this is real?"

Alec pondered it for a while and slowly shook his head. "No."

Bobby slumped deep into the musty couch.

"But-" Alec's perfect posture slumped. "You have a point. It's my choice, my mind."

"That it is," The gruff mechanic confirmed.

Alec stood up, taking a deep breath. "One thing, though."

"Yeah?"

"Dean and Sam… Are you sure they still…?" He trailed off again. Bobby promptly stood and pulled the kid into a hug.

"'Course they do. Those boys are crazy about ya, kid. You're our family and that ain't gonna change anytime soon."

Bobby prayed that their little, broken family was slowly getting through to the kid. He saw how much Dean was worrying about the teen, worrying about keeping him safe, helping him _feel_ safe, and to feel wanted. He saw Sam looking up ways to help with Alec's anger and frustration, how to teach him the things he hadn't learned in Manticore, and reminding him of the freedoms he had.

Bobby wouldn't voice it out loud, but he could see clearly that his boys were determined to break from John's parenting methods. Protecting Alec, yes, but helping him _feel safe_, that was Dean's signature over John's print, his own hastily scribbled notes over his father's parenting handbook.

The hunter couldn't've been more proud of them, all _three_ of the boys that had taken refuge under his roof.

Of course, that sparked the question that was now floating around in _Alec_'s mind as well as his own: Why was it taking so long for them to check in?


	26. Chapter 26

**In honor of the holiday season, enjoy some fluff.**

* * *

Sam was _beyond_ ticked off.

He hated being used, being ordered around without knowing the reason _why_, and he despised having his memory messed with to prove a point. Dean, at least, was equally furious.

Sam's brother sat behind the wheel on their way back to Sioux Falls and was cursing up a storm against the 'pudgy, smug-faced' angel that had stuck them in a bubble to be toyed with for _three_ _weeks_. Sam could tell what the real cause of Dean's anger was, though. Dean didn't just get angry for anger's sake, he'd get angry when he was frustrated or grieving or, in this case, worried.

Three weeks and they hadn't checked in with Alec and Bobby and there was no doubt that Dean was feeling guilty for not contacting them.

"Dean, it's not your fault. You said yourself-"

"-I should've snapped out of it sooner. The kid must've been worried out of his _mind_-"

Sam shook his head. "He's _safe_ at Bobby's."

"Yeah, and _we aren't there!_" Dean shouted back. Sam was stunned. "_We_ aren't there with him. He didn't know if we were safe or not for _too long_."

A watchful pair of eyes studied the driver. "...Dean… we were dropped off at Bobby's for months at a time when we were kids."

"And you're telling me that never messed you up?" Dean pressed. "That you didn't have _nightmares_ of dad not making it home? Of him being torn to pieces by some bloodsucker on some haunted stretch of highway? Cause I don't remember that being the case."

"Dean," Sam started again.

"_No_, Sam. Alec had been through enough. I'm not putting him through that kind of fear just cause dad screwed up."

_Holy crap._

Sam gaped at him, slack-jawed and all. Dean had always _always_ been the dutiful son. Dad could do no wrong in the eyes of his big brother, or at least, that's what it always felt like growing up. Hearing this coming from _Dean_ of all people…

"Take a picture, Sammy, it'll last longer," His older brother shot at his staring face.

Sam shook himself out of his shock and focused on the road. They had a few hours between them and Bobby's, but the younger Winchester wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep anymore with all the thoughts buzzing around his head.

* * *

Alec was waiting for them when they pulled the car around Bobby's lot. Dean expected no less of the kid. As the brothers stepped out of the car into the crunching snow, Alec strolled up to Dean with a confidence that had been missing for the last few weeks.

Dean blinked. "Alec?" _You're back? The real you?_

Alec grinned and Dean suddenly felt his spine popping from the force of the hug Alec was giving him. He immediately squeezed the kid back. They'd both healed by this point. Dean wondered if maybe the angels had sped up his healing process for their little game.

"_Missed you kiddo,_" Dean mumbled quietly but knew Alec heard him since he hugged him tighter for just a second before letting go and stepping away. Was it just him, or was Alec getting taller?

The kid smiled at Dean one more time before turning and launching into Sam for another bone-crushing hug.

Dean glanced over to Bobby. "Sorry, we took so long," He said, glancing between Alec and the oldest hunter with a raised eyebrow.

"It was time well spent," The salvage owner replied with ease. "But don't you _ever_ go that long without calling in ever again."

Dean stuffed his hands into his pockets and met Alec's waiting stare. "I'm sorry to you, too, Alec. We shouldn't have been gone that long."

The teen smirked and nodded. "I'll just have to come with you on the next hunt to make sure you're not gone at all."

"I'm okay with that."

* * *

Dean sat on the couch with a beer in his hand and a contented smile on his face.

The tree sat in the corner of the living room with the lights twinkling and thick flakes of snow blew around outside. Bobby's fireplace crackles and the Christmas Story played on the tv.

Dean didn't know if he'd ever had a more picturesque Christmas in his life.

Alec had seen enough Christmas movies in preparation to sprint into Dean's room that morning and start jumping on him without any hesitation or mercy.

Bruised and bleary-eyed, he'd been dragged by the hand downstairs to the Christmas tree. Alec tore into the wrapping paper with intense and ferocious glee and Dean grinned as Alec's eyes widened with each box or bag bearing his name.

Sam and Bobby appeared not long after and soon all the presents were unwrapped. Dean had managed to get some gag gifts for everyone from a gas station which resulted in Alec throwing the cat-nip toy at Dean's face with Sam and Bobby's approval.

The stuff he'd gotten for Alec were generic - a deck of cards, a rubik's cube from online, and a penny board - as well as some new clothes the next size up and some books he'd gotten at a thrift store, but Alec was almost reverent about each present. Except for the cat-nip toy.

He'd been caught off guard when Alec handed him a small box and scooted next to Sam.

He carefully took off the lid and pulled out a wad of tissue paper.

Pulling it away, a cheesy-looking tie rested in his hand with a big trophy at the bottom declaring him "#1 Grandpa".

The laugh burst out of him before he could stop it. Dean wasn't sure which of the two before him was the mastermind, but that didn't matter; they were both grinning wickedly at him before they started cracking up.

He swooped in and pulled the kid into a hug before ruffling his hair ruthlessly. He'd given Alec a haircut a few weeks ago and it was just long enough to stick up with fluffiness as he mussed it.

Then came a whirlwind of food, games, and a visit from Jody for dinner and desserts. The difference compared to Thanksgiving was staggering. Alec was beaming all day and it was contagious.

When Jody headed home, they migrated to the living room and turned on the tv.

Dean was exhausted. They'd played card games and Alec practiced tricks on his new penny board. The oldest Winchester was relieved to find something that could fit easily in the trunk that could keep Alec active. He didn't have the constant energy to spar or wrestle with the kid. He knew that made him sound like an old man, but Alec was engineered to be this hyper so really anyone would. Dean wasn't _old_, dangit.

But regardless, it had been a very full day and he wasn't the only one tired. Alec was curled up next to him and fast asleep. Dean had his arm wrapped around the kid. Bobby's 'guard dog' had managed to whine his way inside and was flopped in all his glory in front of the fire, Bobby and Sam were watching the movie, and Dean watched his kid.

Tomorrow they'd have a snowball fight and build a snowman three feet taller than Sam; they'd hear a rumor of a case nearby and start thinking of packing up the car. Tomorrow it would just be a nice memory, but for now it was the best Christmas that Dean Winchester ever had.


	27. Chapter 27

**Alright, so there's a bit of happy fluff cause I cannot stress how much I want them to have happy moments. Catching up on S15 has only made this worse, I'm afraid.**

* * *

His long, calloused fingers flipped the page.

Surreal wasn't a strong enough word for this.

Books. Books written as detailed accounts of their lives. And they were sold to the general public.

Yeah.

Sam wasn't happy about this.

"How come I'm not in any of them?" Alec complained.

Dean shrugged and glanced over the titles. "Looks like these are all before we found ya, kid. But believe me, you're not missing out on much."

Sam couldn't pay attention. Everything was in there. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry or bury himself for all of the moments and _thoughts_ he'd assumed would remain private in his life. The only consolation was that Dean couldn't give him too much grief about that since his thoughts were laid bare as well.

Trying not to think about it, he adjusted his laptop and scrolled further down the page of author information.

"Hey Dean, who's Cassie?" Alec asked, flipping through a book with a big black truck on the cover.

Sam smirked as he looked up. Dean's ears turned pink followed by the rest of his face. He grabbed the book Alec was holding and glazed over the page as his eyebrows climber higher and his eyes widened comically. "_You'renotoldenoughtoreadthis_!" He snapped and slammed the book shut.

"When will I be old enough?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow knowingly and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"_**Never.**_ Sam, _everything_ is in here. I mean _everything_."

"What's the big deal?" Alec queried.

Sam found himself smirking despite his best efforts. "Did they ever go over the birds and bees at Manticore?"

"The _what_?" Alec asked.

Dean rounded on Sam. "_**No**_," He said simply.

Sam shrugged. "Dean, he's fourteen. Technically he should've learned about this ages ago. And you had a slightly different attitude when he got phone numbers from at least one waitress at every diner we stopped in."

"Yeah, cause he's a heartbreaker! Can't shame him for his dashing good looks, but he's still got a lot to learn before any of that comes into play!"

Alec, who'd been watching the discussion take off, coughed slightly. "Are you referring to reproduction?"

Sam gave a bland smile. "Yes. You good on that? Cause Dean can explain everything you need to know."

"-Just… not with Uncle Sam here leering over every word," Dean amended. "But if he wants to stay, we could always look up some details of Sam's love life here." Dean displayed a book with a dark-haired woman with fangs that was supposed to be Madison.

"Alright! I get your point!" Sam immediately felt his face flush.

Alec just rolled his eyes. "Why are you guys freaking out so much? It's sex. Is that a bad thing? From what I was told at Manticore, all you do is-"

"-_Woah_ there. We know. We don't need to hear it."

The teenager blinked. "I've never been under any impression that it was socially unacceptable unless it is outside of wedlock or in cases of assault. But it's taboo?"

Sam and Dean exchanged looks. "It's just something usually kept private. It's not bad."

"Not at all," Dean repeated a little _too_ wistfully.

Sam rolled his eyes.

Alec frowned and shook his head, leaning back on his hands on the motel bed. "_Ordinaries are so weird._"

"Okay, back to the books themselves," Sam changed course while clicking a few keys. "It looks like they're still pretty obscure." _Thank goodness_. "I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one - 'No Rest For The Wicked' -" he flipped the laptop around for others to see the list. "Ends with Dean going to Hell."

Alec's eyes widened and he turned to Dean. "What now?"

Dean shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you know I _died_ once…"

"You didn't mention that you went _down_ instead of _up_! What did you _do_?" Alec demanded.

"I sold my soul, okay? And I'm back now. Don't ask, and never _ever_ do it yourself," Dean replied easily.

Alec's lips twisted up to stem the flow of questions that Sam could see racing around in his eyes before he huffed and slumped his shoulders. It only seemed to last a second before he perked up again. "Wait! 2005? That's when it started?"

"Uh, yeah. That's when our dad went missing and Dean picked me up at Stanford. Why?" Sam asked.

"That's when the '05ers _escaped_. Duh. You started hunting again the same year that 12 X5's got over the fence and the same year that this Carver Edlund guy started writing? This is crazy. There's _no way_ that this all happened at once by coincidence."

"I reiterate. Freaking insane." Dean shook his head and pulled the laptop closer and clicked a link. "Check it out, there's actually fans. Did you read this?"

"Yeah." Sam couldn't believe half of it. It was just disturbing.

Dean frowned. "Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot. Listen to this - _Simpatico_ says 'the demon storyline is trite, clichéd and overall craptastic.' Yeah, well, screw you, _Simpatico_. We lived it."

Alec smirked. "Bet they'll love the evil government organization training chimeras even more,"He huffed and tried to maneuver better to see the screen.

Sam felt the need to give warning. "You might not want to keep reading with Ale-"

"-What's a 'slash fan'?" Alec interrupted him.

"...As in… Sam-slash-Dean. Together," Sam answered curtly.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Like… _together_ together?"

"Yeah,"

Alec sighed. "Are you using euphemisms for sex again?" He chided wearily. "Cause I really don't care about your taboo thing," He paused and his eyes widened. "Wait. Do they not know you're brothers?"

"Doesn't seem to matter."

Alec made a face "That's the other socially unacceptable form. Why do _they_ accept it?"

"Oh, come _on_. That… That's just _sick_," Dean cringed and shut the laptop. "We gotta find this Carver Edlund."

"Does _he_ not know the cultural and biological stigma against incestuous relationships?" Alec wondered out loud.

Sam decided it best to ignore the question and cleared his throat. "Yeah, that might not be so easy."

"Why not?" Dean and Alec asked simultaneously and then grinned at each other. They were far too alike sometimes.

Sam rolled his eyes. "No tax records, no known address. Looks like Carver Edlund is a pen name."

"Has he written any other books? That could narrow it down," Alec suggested.

Sam sniffed and grabbed the laptop. Opening it and typing in keywords gave only one result. "He tried to publish a series but it got shut down for copyright. Apparently the guy's not good at originality."

"You can say that again," Dean muttered before clapping his hands together. "So, where should we look first?"

* * *

"You Chuck Shurley?" Dean asked.

"The Chuck Shurley who wrote the 'Supernatural' books?" Sam clarified.

"Maybe. Why?" Alec studied the confused man. His short curly brown hair was a mess, his beard had a few crumbs, and he looked far too comfortable wandering in pajamas and a bathrobe. Chuck looked disheveled and unprofessional and would likely break under very little pressure. They would be able to get answers out of him easily.

"I'm Dean, this is Sam. The Dean and Sam you've been writing about."

Chuck moved to close the door but Alec's hand darted out and caught it with ease. Pushing it back would've been easy, but he didn't want to give away his abilities if Chuck didn't already know who he was.

Chuck blinked at the transgenic holding the door and frowned, having not noticed him before, and then focused on the Winchesters again. "Look, uh… I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans, even the younger ones," He gave a nod to Alec. "But, uh, for your own-"

"-I'm not a fan," Alec shot back. "And we're not going away."

As predicted, Chuck looked more alarmed and panicked.

"Look," Sam started, holding up his hands as appeasingly and non-threateningly as he could manage. "We just want to know how you're doing it."

"And when do I get introduced?" Alec chimed in.

The writer sputtered. "I'm not doing anything. And-"

"-Are you a hunter?" Dean stepped forward, giving off his 'interrogation' vibe.

"What? No. I'm a writer," The other man defended weakly.

Alec nodded and turned to the brothers. "He's telling the truth. If he was a hunter he'd be eaten alive with that muscle mass percentage," he reported.

"_Hey!_" Chuck interjected. "Who do you think you are?"

Alec narrowed his eyes. An idea prickling in the back of his mind. "You tried to publish another series once but it got shut down. It wasn't actually copyright issues was it?"

Chuck blinked. "I-I-..."

Alec straightened up to his full height of 5 feet and 1 inch since his last growth spurt. "My designation is X5-494." He said simply. "And this is Dean and Sam Winchester. We're coming in now," He announced and pushed the suddenly jellified author aside to let the trio into the house.

* * *

_That was efficient_. Dean thought to himself and ruffled the kid's hair, though his eyes trailed to the barcode on his neck and he felt himself tense. The kid threw his designation out there like it was nothing. What if Chuck was involved with Manticore? Didn't Alec say they had psychic types? Were any of them like Chuck?

"Oh! Oh, you're still here," Chuck bemoaned over a glass of whiskey or bourbon.

"Yup." Dean gave a tight, mildly threatening smile.

"You're not a hallucination."

_Psychic?_ Dean wondered again.

Alec shook his head. "Nope."

Chuck shook his head and stood up. "Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god."

"You're not a god," Sam corrected instantly.

Chuck was weird, possibly psychic, and a little egotistical, but the more Dean watched him, the less convinced he was about the Manticore theory. Manticore was a tight ship that was crazy about control, this man wouldn't last a day.

"How else can you explain it?" Chuck snapped. "I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god," He sobered slightly. "A cruel, cruel capricious god. The things I put you through -The physical beatings alone…"

He trailed off and Dean noticed Alec glaring harshly at Chuck.

The bearded man seemed to sense it. "And you, Ben, I haven't been writing your story so how did you end up here? I mean, pieces of moments have come to me but it's not like with the Winchesters."

Alec frowned in confusion. Dean set a hand on his shoulder.

"His name is _Alec_. And he _is_ a Winchester," he declared. "So who's _Ben_ and what's he got to do with all of this?"

Chuck's eyes darted from Alec to Dean and he backed away. "Y-You're not Ben? But you're 493. You even have the barcode, don't you? When you and 452 ran with the others I…"

He trailed off but the pieces clicked together for everyone else.

"You saw the '05ers?" Alec breathed. "They're still _alive_?"

Chuck could only blink at the strange term. "Uh, I guess so if you are but… I didn't write you. I saw you a little with Sam and Dean but I couldn't add you into the story. I didn't want those creepy guys to show up again. I never even saw the ones like you normally. It's always fuzzy. Are you sure you're not 493? I could've _sworn_…"

"Four-Nine-Four. _Alec_," The transgenic shook his head. "But you saw the others? Where? Can you tell me?"

Dean was a little shocked at how engrossed Alec had become over the previous Manticore escapees, but he understood why and was more than willing to help those kids too even if he'd probably have to find others to help if they found them all.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the spark to what would take down Manticore. Those sickos would never have the chance to hurt Alec ever again.

Chuck grabbed the glass from the table again and downed the whole thing. "I-I don't know. It's so disjointed. I mean, I created them, I should've been more careful about where they-"

"-You did _not_ create me," Alec growled suddenly. Dean could've sworn he could see Chuck shiver at the sound. "You're not a god."

"We think you're probably just psychic," Sam suggested.

"No. If I were psychic, you think I'd be writing? Writing is _hard_."

Dean had moments in his life where he found himself asking how he had come to this situation. Watching his brother and his clone argue with a potential psychic over disturbingly accurate accounts of his life had sparked one of these moments.

He hated it.

Some pages caught his attention on the desk. "Hey, what's this?" He interrupted the pointless bickering.

"That's the latest… uh…" Chuck trailed off.

"Latest pages?" Dean finished.

Chuck nodded and seemed worried about the pages. "It's, uh, it's kind of weird."

"'Weird' how?" Sam asked. Honestly, Dean wanted to roll his eyes at how suspicious Sam suddenly seemed.

"It's very Vonnegut."

That caught Dean's attention. "'Slaughterhouse-Five' Vonnegut or 'Cat's Cradle' Vonnegut?"

"What?" Sam seemed shocked.

"What?" Dean shrugged. He _did_ read, despite his brother's apparent assumption. He glanced at Alec who was smiling a little at Dean, having read the books at Bobby's for himself at Dean's recommendation.

"It's, uh, 'Kilgore Trout' Vonnegut. I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house… confronted by my characters."

The room fell suddenly silent as the information was absorbed. Then suddenly: "You wrote _yourself_ into the story but you've been avoiding writing _me_?!" Alec cried, scandalized.

Dean's hand was immediately pressed to his forehead to abate the headache. It was too early for this crap.


	28. Chapter 28

They went immediately to work checking the new pages. Fortunately, they learned that Chuck still had Alec in the story but his words or actions were usually credited to either of the brothers or sometimes a random passerby.

Sam wasn't sure if he could handle Alec's threats to sue Chuck for copyright himself for not writing him into the story to properly 'credit his brilliance'. He guessed it was some sort of coping mechanism for not getting more info on the '05ers, but it was still getting a little grating. Adding that on top of this whole meta-fest was giving him a migraine.

And now there was _this_.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sam couldn't help but find the whole thing utterly ridiculous.

"You think this is funny?" Dean asked.

"You _don't_? I mean, _come on._ 'Fiery demonic passion'?" Sam laughed at the joke the universe was clearly trying to play on him. And with poor writing at that.

"It's just a first draft," Chuck mumbled defensively.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Lilith is a little girl," Dean pointed out, looking even more alarmed by the whole thing.

Alec looked even more concerned than the rest of them. "That can_not_ be a socially acceptable action. I've been wanting to speak with you about that, by the way, Chuck. Are you aware that-"

"-Alec, _not now,_" Sam cut him off and Alec scowled.

Chuck seemed at a loss of who to answer. "Uh, no, uh, Lilith is now a 'comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana'."

That honestly made Sam feel considerably better somehow even though he still wasn't buying the story. There was _no way_ he was sleeping with a demon… that wasn't Ruby…

Apparently, Dean's feelings hadn't changed even a little.

"Great. Perfect. So what happens after the…" he glanced at Alec and rolled his eyes. "'Fiery demonic' whatever?"

Chuck sputtered. "I don't know, it hasn't come to me yet."

Sam couldn't believe how seriously his brother was taking this. "Dean, look, there's nothing to worry about. Lilith and _me_? In _bed_?"

He was pretty sure Lilith still wanted his head on a pike. This was _not_ possible. There was nothing to be worried about.

* * *

_Holy __**crap**_, Dean was worried.

Alec could _smell_ the anxiety and it was making his stomach churn, not that he'd say anything about it. They'd spent the whole day trying to change what Chuck had written and it hadn't done much.

Chuck had included Alec in this recent batch of writing so even his 'timeline wildcard' status didn't seem to be helping anymore.

Dean had parked the car and they'd been checking out the town in order to counter what had been written. It seemed to be going okay so far, though. Maybe the Winchester's plan was half-working. Dean had already tried to order a veggie burger to change things but it had been foiled quickly.

Stepping outside, Alec spotted a group of teenagers heading toward the car. Teenagers who were about to break the window if Chuck's writings were accurate.

"Oh, no you don't!" Alec broke the rules, they weren't helping much anyway with this prophecy thing. He blurred across the street, narrowly missing getting hit by a minivan that honked loudly.

"ALEC, WAIT!" Dean shouted behind him as brakes screeched.

Once in the parking lot, he gave a battle cry that sent the other teens running. When he stopped by the car, Baby was fully intact and Alec felt a swell of pride at his accomplishment.

"ALEC! What were you _THINKING_?!" Dean launched into his tirade.

"I broke the rules because we _need to break rules_, Da-ean," He cleared his throat to disguise his slip.

"You ran into the path of a _moving car_! You could've been _hit_!"

Alec shook his head. "I was faster than them."

Dean caught his shoulder, opened the door, and steered him into the back seat. Alec sulked as he sat in the car with his feet outside so Dean could keep ranting at him. The oldest Winchester was still looking around, though, watching to see if anyone noticed or stopped from the impossible speed of the fourteen year old. Maybe Alec could get off the hook?

Dean turned back to him with a thunderstorm in his eyes. "_Do you have __**any**_ _idea how dangerous that was?_" He hissed.

Alec nodded cautiously. "I saved the car though, Dean. I changed the story."

Dean leaned against the car and seemed to slowly deflate. "Kiddo, the Apocalypse problem is mine and Sam's deal. We… We started it and we're in charge of ending it."

"What do you mean you started it?" Alec asked, now a little more wary. Dean said that with a heavy certainty.

"_I _started it. I didn't know it at the time but…" He shook his head. "But that's not the point. The point is, you shouldn't put yourself at risk to fix what me and Sam are in charge of fixing."

Alec felt his teeth grinding. "I can _do_ it though. You keep treating me like I'm some fragile little kid-"

"-You _are_ a kid! And you're more fragile than you ever care to notice!"

The transgenic snapped. "I was _never _just a kid! I'm not normal! And I'm stronger than you and Sam!"

"I KNOW!" Dean yelled back.

Alec wanted to fight, to keep arguing, to make Dean _see_ that he was _right_ and that he could _help_. But Dean didn't look like he _could_ fight and it gave Alec pause.

The hunter let out a slow deep breath that Alec recognized as the meditation technique Sam had been teaching _him_. Dean had joined in with Alec, but he didn't think he'd actually be _following along_. It was strange to him. Why would Dean do that?

"Alec, do you have any idea how Sam and I would feel if you got hurt trying to save us? If you _died_?" Dean asked quietly.

The teen felt the world stop. "I-" His mouth felt dry all of the sudden. "I hadn't thought about that."

Dean's mouth quirked up. "Apparently it runs in the family," He quipped. "But, Alec, kiddo, you've never been a kid before, you're right, but Sam and I want you to have that chance still. You shouldn't have to be as brave as you are. You shouldn't be having night terrors. You shouldn't have to be worried that we're not going to be able to keep you safe or that we're not going to make it back to you. But you are and you do and I'm sorry that we're not a normal family."

"I wouldn't fit with a normal family, Dean." Alec pointed out.

Dean smiled a little more. "I doubt any of us actually would, no matter how well we could fake it.

A question had been nagging him for a little while and he'd held back so far, but he supposed now was a good time to ask. "What you said earlier to Chuck…"

Dean frowned in confusion but listened.

"Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

Alec scraped the toe of his boot into the asphalt parking lot. "That I'm a Winchester?"

"Absolutely."

Dean was staring at him intently. There wasn't even a second of hesitation.

"Oh."

Alec wasn't human. He knew Dean and Sam called him family and that was special to them. He was just still having trouble understanding what the _meant_. "So… when you say that… do you mean like..._your_ _kid_?"

Now there was hesitation. He watched Dean's eyes, identical to his own in a way that was strange to see outside of a mirror. The man leaned down to eye-level. "Would you be okay if I said yes?"

That was an interesting question.

Did he want to be Dean's kid? He guessed he sort of was already, but this would be making it official. Dean as _his_ dad. Sam as _his_ uncle. No need for a public cover. He'd know where he stood. He could be like those kids at the little shop in the amusement park.

"Yeah," he managed a little more hoarsely than he thought he'd be. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Dean blinked a few times and swallowed as he nodded. "Okay then. I guess that's settled."

"I guess so," he said awkwardly back.

"If you ever need me to back off or anything, you still tell me okay? If you need _anything_, let me know," He insisted. Alec's _Dad_ insisted. "I know I'm gonna mess up but I'll try, okay?"

Dean seemed to be more reassuring himself and Alec nodded, smiling a little. "Right now can you let me see if I can change things?" He tried after a minute. There was an uncomfortable weight of unknown expectations in the air and he hoped changing the subject a little might make it easier for both of them to process what had just occurred.

Dean, _his Dad_, smirked. "Part of being a - a _Dad_ means it's my job to protect you."

"But, I just want to be able to help," He couldn't stop the words. "I know I can. I have the training and I'm even a big red flag to the angels because prophecy crap isn't supposed to _stick_ to me but you and Sam keep acting like I shouldn't care or try to help."

Dean nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. We just want to keep you safe, safe from the Men in Black situation since we can't fight that like we can fight monsters, and from demons cause they're violent and bloody and powerful. So honestly, it's not that we don't think you're capable, Sam and I are scared. _I'm_ scared. Of what could happen to you...Son."

Alec had to process this. This was like the first time Dean had called him 'Family' and now it had changed again with a new meaning. This was one of those weird moments that made him wonder how his life had changed so much in such a short time. It was still very surreal to him, although he could tell it was frustrating at times for Dean and Sam. Alec just wasn't used to having someone care about him. About _him_ and not 494, the soldier, the weapon.

"I'm not really used to that… Dad."

"I know, but that's what I'm here for now," Dean promised. "So what do you think we can work out about this?"

* * *

Chuck's lumpy couch was fairly comfortable to wait on while the writer walked in, although it smelled a little like booze and popcorn. He nearly jumped when he saw his guests but then settled again with a mixture of exhaustion and wariness.

"Dean. Alec."

"I take it you knew we'd be here?" Dean began.

Chuck half shrugged. "You look less angry. Any luck?"

"Just a little," Dean answered, nudging Alec with his shoulder. The teen beamed at him. "But we've got a few questions that need answering."

"I'll try to help," The man mumbled back.

Alec cocked his head to the side. "_Really_? Cause you're hiding something. Something's _off _about you. I can smell it."

Dean's eyes widened. "_Seriously_?" He whispered. Alec nodded. "I knew it."

"What wouldn't I be telling you?" Chuck stammered.

Dean gestured wildly. "How do you know what you know, for starters."

"I don't know how. I just do!"

The hunter glanced at his clone who shook his head again while glaring at Chuck. "That's not good enough," Dean translated.

Next to Dean, Alec suddenly stiffened and sniffed the air.

"Dean, this man is to be protected," Cas declared as he 'poofed' into the room before them. Dean was getting tired of the constant appearing/vanishing act if he was being honest. It was frustrating and alarming to say the least, but it was amusing to see Chuck jump in surprise.

He moved to stand but Alec had wide eyes and a death grip on his arm. "And why does a writer need to be protected?" Dean prodded but stayed seated with Alec.

"He's a prophet of the Lord."


	29. Chapter 29

Castiel.

Was here.

Alec was having issues with that.

Rationally, he knew that Castiel had saved him recently and probably meant him no harm. But the irrational instinctive part of Alec still shouting that the angel was an invasive threat.

The angel was explaining the situation but Alec was just watching him, every move, every gesture, for any sign of hostility. He was instinctively afraid of Castiel and that made him angry. Castiel was _wrong_. Like Ruby, but different. He'd rather pick a fight and lose than be stuck cowering.

Chuck bolted upstairs with a bottle of whiskey before tension started to build up more in the room.

"Him? _Really_?" Dean asked unimpressed.

"You should've seen Luke," Cas countered. Finally, his attention seemed to rest on Alec. "Alec, you've healed. Good."

The transgenic resisted the urge to hiss at the unassuming-looking man standing just a few feet away. Instead, he noticed Dean had wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It helped in more ways than one.

Should he start calling Dean 'Dad' in his mind? He wasn't used to that.

Maybe he could focus on that instead of how close Castiel was and how he was stepping closer.

"You okay, kid? Cas is a friend now, remember? He's just got to work on the 'friendly' bit," Dean assured him.

Cas squinted and stepped even _closer_ and Alec was having none of that. "Why would you believe I bear ill will towards you after I assisted in your escape from Manticore?"

"Cause you wanted to destroy me since we first met, even if you're not Psy-Ops," He spat and then regretted it when Castiel's expression seemed to darken.

"I will be understanding of your lack of trust, though I will not tolerate the insult of being associated with those unfeeling, inhuman monsters of that institution," He growled.

Dean just sighed and ran a hand down his face. "See, Cas? This is why I don't invite you places." He reached up and ruffled Alec's hair. "This is also why Alec doesn't like you. Alec, you know Cas is on our side, please apologize for the insult. And Cas," He waved his other arm at Alec. "Don't you think the kid has been threatened by adults enough? He's scared of you so he's lashing out. Please apologize for scaring him."

Alec felt his face grow hot. "I won't apologize to someone who keeps trying to intimidate me. I'm tired of being intimidated!" _Afraid._

Cas crouched down in front of Alec suddenly. No one said a word. Alec kept his gaze locked on Castiel's and it was clear what this was: a battle of wills. He refused to back down or look away. He would _not_ be scared anymore! He was going to _prove_ that the Winchesters could count on him.

He was Dean's son.

If Castiel thought Alec was going to just be-

"-You have spirit, strength, and courage in you, young one. And you have endured many atrocities and yet have a desire to do good. I respect that. I apologize for my previous behavior. It appears I have unsettled you."

Alec blinked as Castiel straightened back up. That was not what he had expected. "I...I'm sorry too. You saved me before... I'll try to trust you a little more," He promised, knowing Dean wanted him too.

Glancing at the older man's smile told him he'd guessed correctly. "Great. Everyone's good. Now, how do we get around this?"

"Around what?" Alec and Castiel both asked.

"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"

Dean reminded.

"Are we still worried about that?" Alec puzzled.

Castiel frowned. "What the prophet has written can't be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass."

"But I broke the timeline earlier. We saved the car from getting smashed," Alec chimed in suddenly, not wanting his success to go unnoticed.

Was it wrong to want Dean to be proud of him? Cause he did. He had a dad now and he wanted to make him proud. And if that meant Dean smiled at him and ruffled his hair and told him good job, then it was even better.

"But you only changed it a little," Dean reminded. "Changing it a little could give Lilith the chance to kill us."

"Well, I could've been hit by that car but I wasn't," Alec pushed back. He _wanted_ the words, dangit.

"But you cheated."

Alec's felt a smile on his face. "Then let's find another way to cheat."

* * *

This was _not_ what he had in mind.

Alec huffed from where he sat in the back seat of the Impala while Dean tried to convince Sam to leave. He was nearly 15!...probably. Why was he still being underestimated?! Banished to the car while Dean put himself at risk? Nuh uh.

He mentally prepared himself to leave and give Dean and Sam a piece of his mind then paused and took a moment to do the breathing exercises. Dean was just trying to keep him safe. They'd talked about it only a few hours ago and Alec was already undermining the whole deal with this plan.

Dean had said it was the adults job to do the dangerous things - a concept that Alec had never considered or even been exposed to until the Winchesters had found him - and while Alec was old enough to help on hunts and things, Dean and Sam wanted him staying alive as a top priority.

And that meant staying in the car until Dean said it was a Lilith-free zone.

When Dean stormed out of the motel, Alec knew it was Lilith-free, but something else was wrong.

"Where's Sam?" Alec asked, halfway out of the window.

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "He won't leave. He wants to take on Lilith."

"But isn't Lilith the freakiest demon they've got?"

The oldest Winchester looked lost. This was bad. Dean _always_ found a way, he was the _best _at it. Maybe now was his turn to help?

"Should I try?" Alec offered.

"I don't know if it'll change it."

Alec climbed out of the car. "I could knock him out and drag him away." He tried again. _That could be fun_, he thought.

Well, not the hurting Sam part, but watching Dean's eyes get all big like when he carried that whole engine into the garage? That would be fun.

"No. Sam's not thinking straight right now. He's… He's been messing with stuff he shouldn't be, Alec."

Alec sat on the railing between the sidewalk and the parking lot. "You mean that psychic stuff?"

Dean nodded. "He thinks he's getting stronger or something but it's bad news, kid. The angels don't seem to know where it came from other than that it's gotta stop."

"Well," Alec started. "Didn't they say the same stuff about me?"

Dean sighed. "Yeah, they did. So they can be wrong… but this doesn't feel like one of those things. Sam's been too secretive about it." His expression changed. "Alec, have you ever seen Sam use his powers?"

Alec nodded. "He, uh, stopped that freaky Alistair demon when we were in Wyo-..." His mouth shut with a click. He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about getting captured like that ever again. "When we were going to do the seance for that kid."

"How did it feel?" Dean asked.

"Huh?"

"Sam using his powers around you. Did you have any sense around it or something? Your DNA's weird, kid, but you're usually good at the whole 'good or evil' vibe sensing." He explained.

"Umm…" Alec thought back to that night. He'd been shocked at the abilities and there was a strong 'wrong' feeling but that could've easily been from Alistair's presence. "I don't know. That freaky demon was there, I was focused more on him. And then on him flying through the air. It's hard to say."

"Fair," Dean conceded. "We need to convince Sam and I think if we're going to convince Sam, we're going to need more help."

Alec frowned. "You want to ask Castiel for help, don't you?"

Just cause they were going to try not to antagonize each other, didn't mean Alec wanted to see him more than once a day.

"Alec, I don't know what else to do. We need more supernatural firepower."

Alec's lips pressed together hard. _How come I'm not enough?_ He wanted to ask and found himself pouting. He shook himself out of the expression. "Fine. Do we… pray or something?"

Dean shrugged. "I, uh, think so. Look, gimme a sec and I'll give it a shot, okay?"

He stalked off to a nearby soda machine and Alec pretended not to hear him. He focused on not grinding his teeth instead before Castiel appeared beside Dean. It was weird watching his trick from a distance, it was like he just hadn't noticed him there the whole time.

Alec hated the whole 'waiting' thing. Ordinaries seemed to think he loved it though. They had lines for nearly everything and he had to 'be patient' all the time. Not only that, but Ordinaries did _everything so slow_. It was enough to drive anyone insane.

So by the time the angel got around to making excuses for why he wouldn't help, Alec was sufficiently ticked off. Castiel might not be an ordinary, but he was sure acting like one.

"So what - We're just supposed to sit around and, and wait for it to happen?" Dean snapped.

"No more waiting! We need to do something," Alec strode up to them.

"I'm sorry," Castiel looked repentant.

Alec huffed. This whole thing was a bust. "Fine, let me go in and knock either some sense or my fist into Sam's head."

"Alec, you are not going to knock Sam unconscious," Dean puffed a breath of steam into the chilly night air.

"Dean, Alec…" Castiel was uncharacteristically hesitant.

_He's trying to keep you safe. Deep breaths like Sam said_. "What?" Alec asked.

"You two misunderstand why I can't intercede. Prophets are very special. They're protected."

"I get that," Dean nodded and Alec found himself focusing more on what the angel was trying to _not_ say.

"If anything threatens a prophet, anything at all, an archangel will appear to destroy that threat. Archangels are fierce. They're absolute. They're heaven's most terrifying weapon."

Alec was trying not to let his sudden hope be too obvious.

"These archangels, they're tied to prophets?" Dean checked.

"Yes."

"So if a prophet was in the same room as a demon…"

Castiel nodded. "The most fearsome wrath of heaven would rain down on that demon. Just so you understand… why I can't help…" He finished.

"Castiel, you're alright," Alec stated, smiling a little.

Cas nodded to Alec with a small hint of his own smile before he vanished again.

* * *

**Alright, final few chapters of Part 1 coming up!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey all! Sorry for missing the update yesterday so I'm doing double today with the end of part 1! Happy Thanksgiving! **

* * *

Getting Chuck to the motel wasn't as hard as Alec thought it might be. It did help that Dean let him pick up the prophet and blur Chuck to the car to save some time.

"What's going on?" Chuck managed, stunned as he found himself being carried to the street.

"We need you to come with us."

"B-But I-"

Alec pushed the prophet into the back seat. "Buckle up, Chuck," He grinned and slammed the door shut.

Chuck was nearly hyperventilating as Dean stepped on the gas and zoomed down the road. "What's going on? You're not supposed to be here. This isn't supposed to be happening!"

"Exactly," The teen glanced back from the front seat. Alec _loved_ sitting up front with Dean and the fact that they had a solid plan was only adding to his mood. "We're cheating to save Sam."

"Save Sam? From _Lilith_?!" Chuck's voice strained.

"Alright, listen to me. You have an archangel tethered to you, okay? All you gotta do is show up and _Boom!_ Lilith gets smoked," Dean reassured him and made a sharp right turn.

"But I-I haven't seen that yet. Th-the story-"

"-_Cheating_," Alec chimed in.

Dean lightly elbowed Alec and gave him a look. Alec immediately understood and tried to tamp down on his excitement.

But _come on!_ They were going to take down the scariest demon the Winchesters had ever come across! After being useless when facing Alistair, Alec was feeling the need to redeem himself when it came to the demon-slaying aspect of the job. Plus, he got to use his apparent gift for ruining people's plans and prophecies for good! It was perfect!

* * *

Sam watched Lilith carefully as he considered her proposal. There was a trick to it, there always was. Him and Dean for the rest of the world? No demon would buy that.

"You really think I'm stupid enough to fall for this?" Sam asked. The knife was looking awful tempting.

"I make a deal, I have to follow through. Those are the rules, and you know it. I'll even sweeten it a bit more. Your little _pet_ that I've heard about walks out alive. Are you really so arrogant that you would put your life before the lives of six billion innocent people? Maybe it's all that demon blood pumping through your pipes," She gave him a flirtatious smile. "Man after my own heart."

_Yeah, to carve it out of you._ "You think I'm like _you_? I am **nothing** like you," He wasn't. Demons destroyed, Sam protected. It was that simple.

"Then _prove it._ Going once," She walked toward the lumpy mattress. "Going twice…"

Alec would be safe. Billions of people would be safe.

"_Fine_," The word tasted sour in his mouth. Lilith turned back to him. A smile that had no right to look that bright stretched across her stolen features.

"Swell. By the way, a contract with me will take more than a kiss…"

Sam felt bile in his throat. This was _bad_. There was only _one_ demon he trusted to uphold their bargain and Lilith was certainly not her. Where _was_ Ruby? Sam wished she were here. He needed more power, more blood.

But for now, all he had was a knife. He prayed that would be enough.

* * *

Dean had a bad feeling the second he pulled into the parking lot. The motel sign had changed to match the prophecy. Things were lining up a bit _too_ nicely for his taste.

"Alec, stay in the car, please."

"But-"

"**Please,**" He shut down the protest immediately. The car was warded. The car was safe. Alec needed to stay in the car. "Chuck, get out."

The prophet was still pale and disoriented so Dean hauled him out and shoved him toward the room. _Please work. __**Please**_ _work…_

He kicked the door open, hearing a scuffle inside. He shoved Chuck into the doorway.

"I am the prophet, Chuck!" The man declared, sounding about as confident and impressive as a tween at a middle school prom. He was still only wearing pj's and a bath robe. _Did this guy ever take a shower _Dean wondered off-hand.

Needless to say, the blonde woman who could only be Lilith, seemed a bit underwhelmed. "You've _got_ to be joking."

She walked over to the man slowly and Dean stepped back. He was putting a lot of faith into the archangel plan. "Oh, this is no joke," He shot a look at Sam and glanced quickly at the door. If something didn't change fast, they were going to be in a _lot_ of trouble.

The room started to shake and Dean found it a bit easier to breathe. A high-pitched ringing built up slowly. It felt like it was stabbing through Dean's eardrums, but it was worth it to know that it was _working_. "You see, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder. You've got about 10 seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you-"

"-_Dad!_" He spun, eyes widening. Alec was crouched just behind him, hands locked over his ears.

He swore. The kid was too sneaky and curious to stay out of something like this. "Alec, get out of here!"

Alec stood up, looking past him. "_Sam! Now!_"

Dean wasn't going to wait to see what Sam did. He charged forward as the light grew in intensity, slamming into Alec and crouching over to protect him as best as he could in an awkward shell. Angels didn't like demons, thank goodness, but angels so far didn't like transgenics either. He needed Alec _away_ from the situation before things got crispy and the teen was noticed and labeled a threat to Chuck.

A shriek contrasted with the piercing reverberation of the angel's 'voice' but Dean didn't look. The brightness became too much. He couldn't move. He watched Alec through slitted eyes instead. The poor kid's enhanced hearing seemed to be more of a curse with everything going on.

_Please let him be alright._

Then it all stopped.

It reminded Dean of some cheesy Christopher Reeves _Superman_ time reversal of a nuke going off. The overwhelming power just flickered out like it was never there.

He glanced up at the room and then back to Alec. The kid look a bit pale and shell-shocked but nodded that he was okay. Dean helped him to his feet as they made their way further into the motel room. Other occupants of the motel were no-doubt starting to pop their heads out of their doors.

Dean looked for Sammy right away and felt his muscles relax when his baby brother looked alright, though a little worse for wear. Chuck was outright frozen with wide eyes, his mouth twitching with words he couldn't say.

And on the floor, the remains of Lilith, knife buried to the hilt in her stomach and eye sockets smoking.

She was dead. They won.

Dean pulled Alec closer to his side and pressed a hand to his forehead. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

They _**won**_.


	31. Chapter 31

**Apocalypse averted! Here's the last chapter for a little while. i'll try to get part 2 up and running in a few months. Nag me for it and I'll probably go a little faster. Thanks for all the reviews and reminders that someone is reading the story! It means a lot! I'll be back soon!**

**E. Nigma**

* * *

The Seals were voided. Everything had gone haywire and Castiel watched the violent disruption break out in Heaven. Half of the host were celebrating while the other half seethed without giving a source for their rage.

Castiel was taking careful note of those ones. He sensed something was amiss in Heaven and a sinister feeling emanated from those in upper management. Perhaps he should contact Anna again. She seemed to understand more than he did about their brethren. He had no desire for Lucifer to be set free on the world but it seemed that not all of his brothers and sisters shared his feelings.

Perhaps some cautionary protections were in order for the Winchesters. _All_ of them. Castiel wondered if those who were wrathful at the turn of events might seek vengeance on the newest member of the Winchester clan.

Alec was young and had changed very much since Castiel had first met him. Or, perhaps it was that Castiel hadn't truly seen him to begin with. He saw much of Dean in the boy, much of the same goodness and desire to help others. That needed to be protected. _He_ needed to be protected, just as much as Dean and Sam.

The followers of the Adversary were no doubt in similar states. Already several disasters had taken place on Earth in protest or out of frustrated impatience. They would be seeking those responsible just as fiercely as the wrathful of Heaven.

It was decided then, he would contact Anna and find those who he could trust until he had evidence and had accomplished his new self-assigned mission.

He would protect the Winchesters, he would expose the corruption of Heaven, and he would find answers.

He would find his Father.

* * *

Eyes were locked onto the screen in a mixture of fascination and worry. The figure on the street cocked their head to the side as the news reported the strange events taking place all around the world. Storms and earthquakes seemed to be epidemic and others reported strange lights and meteor showers in the sky for no reason.

The world was far more bizarre and wonderful than they'd guessed in their bedtime stories all those years ago. It was also very randomly dangerous. There had never been accidents more than once behind those walls, there weren't any chances for second mistakes. With disasters becoming commonplace, it was clear that things were changing more than anyone seemed ready for, X5 or not.

The news changed to an ongoing story of a bill someone was trying to pass and the X5 lost interest. They slid into the shadows to join the others in their gang for the night.

* * *

Bobby's house was a welcome sight to Alec.

They'd come close to popping into a clinic to check Alec's ears since he'd confessed to hearing problems. Apparently, he'd lost most of his hearing for nearly ten hours after the smiting of Lilith but sound had started returning to normal and the brothers were satisfied for now. If it didn't completely return, they'd go to the hospital, but for now, they had their minds on a much different issue.

Dean and Sam were trying to be happy about the defeat of Lilith but a tension had seeped between them. The BIG question hadn't been asked as far as Alec knew: Would Sam stop whatever psychic stuff he had now that Lilith was gone? Now that the biggest threat was vanquished?

Alec hoped so. He wasn't sure how he felt about Sam's powers on their

own, but it put Dean on edge and Alec hated when the brothers were anxious about something. It made him tense.

Bobby's house settled the Winchesters and Alec. It was secure and safe in more than just a physical sense.

That, and Bobby had books. _Lots_ of books. With the Apocalypse on hold, Alec was practically purring at the prospect of curling up with a stack of novels on Bobby's ratty old couch (blame his cat DNA, he didn't care).

A cloud of dust lazily shrouded the car as they climbed out of the impala. Alec was already zooming up to the steps where Bobby and a chubby-looking Rumsfield waited expectantly for belly scratches. "BOBBY!"

The older man stumbled a little as Alec nearly tackled him in a hug and the teen felt slightly guilty for losing track of his strength. After steadying the old man, Alec felt a calloused hand fluff his hair. His short hair was slightly prickly from his last haircut to keep it manageable... and to match Dean. "'S good to see ya, boy," Bobby rumbled with a grin.

Alec stepped back as Sam and Dean made their way over.

"Hey, Bobby." Dean's easy-going smile looked a little… _off_ to Alec after hugging their friend.

"Bobby, how've you been?" Sam asked, fortunately a little more normal.

Bobby adjusted his cap and scratched his beard. "Good enough. Been tough trying ta sort through all the crazy fallout of the demons losing their best chess piece."

"Better that than the end of the world," Alec pointed out.

The grizzled hunter nodded, wrinkles around his eyes becoming more prominent as he smiled and nodded. "Much better. I ain't calling this anything other than a win by any means. And a Hail Mary if there ever was one," He gestured to the door. "Let's get you boys settled in here and then we can discuss this a bit more over a few beers."

"Sounds good to me," Alec marched into the house.

"_Not for you, half-pint!_" Bobby called after him.

Yeah, Alec loved staying at Bobby's.

* * *

Turns out, dinner came first but Dean didn't seem to mind and neither did Alec.

Sam was _Tired_.

He was more or less still waiting for the satisfaction of avenging Dean/stopping the big bad to kick in. Not to mention it had been _days_ since he'd been able to see Ruby and get his fix.

No. Not fix. Yeesh, that made his sound like some sort of _addict_. And wouldn't Dean just have a field day with _that_.

He just needed-er-_wanted_ a little pick-me-up; a bit of extra energy, just in case he needed the extra power soon. He'd need to be strong enough to protect Dean and Alec if something happened. And something was _bound_ to happen. The demons weren't likely to just give up.

But for now, he had chili dogs which were okay in the meantime even if Sam couldn't help wondering what this level of grease and fat would do to Dean's cholesterol. One panic about Dean's heart had been more than enough for the younger Winchester and Alec was undoubtedly following in Dean's dietary footsteps. Sam just prayed that genetic enhancements included plaque dissolvers in the bloodstream.

"Hey, _Samantha_, your face got stuck on 'sour lemon' mode. What did chili dogs ever do to you?" Dean teased.

Sam declined to answer and instead started eating again. It was a special enough occasion to indulge a bit.

"_**Samantha**__?_" Alec asked, shoving another dripping bite of chili dog into his mouth. A glob of melting cheese splattered on his plate.

Yep. Dean was responsible for this one.

"Not if you want me to buy you peanut M&M's on the next hunt," Sam warned.

Alec turned his attention back to his food but Sam caught a knowing exchange between him and Dean. That was nice and ominous and not at all a herald of a prank war.

He'd have to appeal to Bobby.

"Speakin' of squirt, here: you boys know anything about a 'Chuck Shurley'?" Bobby asked suddenly. "I meant ta tell ya earlier but I didn't know what to make of it." He stood and rifled through a stack of mail on the counter.

"Chuck sent you something?" Dean asked, confused.

"So he's cleared? I did the usual tests as well as a few… others considering the addressee."

"Who's it for?" Sam asked.

Bobby set an envelope on the table. "One 'Alec Winchester'."

* * *

Alec had never received a letter, package, or even an email in his entire life, but he pretty sure it was weird to _write_ a _letter_ to someone when you had their phone number.

"You gonna open it, kid? Or do you hear some sort of high frequency tracker hidden inside?" Dean prodded.

Alec shrugged and started tearing at the lip of the envelope. This was weird. What would Chuck have to say to him that he couldn't say over a phone? He removed the piece of paper inside and his eyes widened.

"What is it?" Sam asked. Alec turned the paper around. "Random numbers?"

"No." Dean carefully plucked the paper from Alec's hands. "It's the '05ers coordinates."

Hearing Dean come to the same conclusion let Alec breathe again.

The 05'ers. The runaway X5's that he'd been wishing to find for nearly a _year_ were suddenly within reach. There were others like him, others that weren't in Manticore's clutches.

He had to help them.

"We'll find them, kiddo," He looked up at Dean's reassuring words. "Even if they leave, we can stay in contact with Chuck for updates. We'll find them if that's what you want to do."

"But then what?"Alec found himself asking. They didn't exactly drive a schoolbus. "We can't take them all with us. There's a dozen of them."

"We'll figure that out. Maybe we can get 'em in contact with good hunters nearby; ones we can trust," Dean suggested. "We can find a system."

Alec wasn't sure what to feel about this whole thing the more he processed. What if they refused? What if none of them trusted him? Or, worse, what if one of them had had enough and wanted to get back into Manticore's good graces? Alec didn't want to go back there, even if Cas would break him out again.

His eyes locked onto three numbers: 493. His twin. His twin was out there. He had a _brother_ somewhere out there. A brother who might need his help.

Alec looked between Dean and Sam and finally up to Bobby. "How soon can we leave for Michigan?"


End file.
